Friday 9 December 2016

Reindeer

This postcard shows the low light of winter sun in Lapland.  Looking up how long the day is in this the second week of December I find that the sun arrives at 10am and sets at 2.30pm. Snow of course is guaranteed although its depth will vary depending on which part of Lapland one is.  The Sami people have herded reindeer for centuries here and the reindeer ear markings show who they belong to, useful for their are five hundred thousand of them roaming across the three areas of Lapland.

Reindeer are marvelously adapted for the conditions of winter, their pads shrink and tighten exposing the sharp rims which become almost non slip and these sharp rims also enable them to cut through ice and crushed snow which also make it easy for them to dig through snow for food, their favourite being a lichen - reindeer moss. Another advantage is their two fur coats insulating them from the cold, a dense woolly undercoat and a longer haired outer coat consisting of hollow, air filled hairs. Just like growing their own duvet.  I wonder which reindeer Santa Claus has chosen for his sledge this year?

 
Postcards for the Weekend theme - Winter Scenes - joining the winter party at Connections to the World

6 comments:

Maria said...

It's always magical for me to see sunrays piercing through tall trees. Thanks for this pretty postcard showing the contrast of warm sun and cold snow. For the reindeers, I'm also really curious and keen to see one!

Scriptor Senex said...

That's a beautiful scene.

MY POSTCARD-PAGE said...

I really love this postcard and the interesting information about reindeers too!

Helen said...

What an interesting postcard and blog post. I can't say I ever really thought about reindeer what reindeer eat before! Thank you for posting it.

John's Island said...

Joy, I really love the reindeer and the sun streaming through the trees. What a beautiful card. I learned a lot from this post about reindeer. Another excellent addition to Postcards for the Weekend. Thanks for sharing. Have a fine week ahead!

Mail Adventures said...

I think I've seen a reindeer in person only once. It was impressive!