A little science at Christmas

As e-mailed to me earlier this week. Nothing wrong with picking up a little science, even at Christmas...

The biology of reindeer

It is a little known but glaringly obvious fact that Santas reindeer are female. You see reindeer, like caribou and the other tarandus subspecies, do indeed grow antlers. However, while both male and female reindeer grow antlers in the summer each year, male reindeer drop their antlers at the beginning of winter, usually late November to mid-December, but in any event before December 24th. For the rest of the winter, including Christmas, males are antlerless, while female reindeer retain their antlers till after they give birth in the spring. You will note that every single rendition of Santas sleigh with reindeer all hitched up has each one carrying a full set of antlers. Therefore every single one, Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Vixen, and of course Rudpolph – is a girl, and better yet a girl that is pregnant. We should've known. Only women, while pregnant, would be able to drag a fat man in a red velvet suit all around the world in one night and not get lost.