Don"t be surprised if these caribous take flight! Ever since Clement Clarke Moore assigned reindeer to be Santa"s helpers in his 1823 poem "A Visit from St. Nicholas," caribous—as they are called in North America—have eagerly contributed to the Christmas celebration. It"s no wonder that Father Christmas would pick them. Thanks to their resilient and adaptable features, like their two layers of dense fur or eyes adapted to a wide range of light wavelengths, these mammals are accustomed to diverse environments. You likely won"t see them fly, but you might find a herd migrating from tundra to forest in the North Polar Region, North America, Northern Europe and Siberia. Their hooves can expand or shrink in size depending on the season and the quality of the ground, which keeps their heavy frame, crowned with antlers, standing on stable feet. If you"re celebrating Christmas today, we wish you a merry one.
Christmas Day
Today in History
More Desktop Wallpapers:
-
Jewel of the Adriatic
-
Something to ‘bee’ thankful for
-
Pancake Day
-
Magnificent moss, magnified
-
Llyn Padarn, Snowdonia, Wales
-
What are these unique creatures?
-
A chocolate lovers favourite fruit
-
Blackpool’s light fantastic
-
Incan ingenuity
-
A prickly customer
-
Burns Night
-
International Day of Forests
-
Cowichan Valley, Vancouver Island, Canada
-
Sunlight turning silver to gold
-
Doves of peace
-
Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica
-
Bowling Ball Beach, California, USA
-
Mountains of sand
-
Bohemian waxwings
-
In the running
-
Mount Hood, Oregon, USA
-
Verdon Gorge, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, France
-
Stars in daylight
-
Alps of the sea
-
A mountaintop cultural wonder
-
Do pandas enjoy winter?
-
Reflecting on Christmas
-
Lighting the world
-
What returned to this city 500 years ago?
-
Angkor, Cambodia