Mammals with hooves, such as deer and reindeer, are all part of the Cervidae family, and a reindeer is just one of the 43 species of deer in the world. Here we explain what the difference is between a reindeer and the other deer species.
What are reindeer?
Reindeer are the same species as caribour deer (rangifer tarandus).
However, the distinction between the two variations is that caribou live in North America, and reindeer live in Northern Europe and Asia. Mainly, reindeer are domesticated or semi-domesticated, while caribou are wild, migratory mammals.
What are the differences between reindeer and deer?
It should be noted that although there are many species of deer, which are quite different to each other, these are general comparisons between reindeer and deer to help you learn some key differences.
Where do deer and reindeer live?
One of the main distinctions between reindeer and other deer is geographical location. For reindeer, cold, harsh winds and temperatures make the perfect environment. Reindeer only live in far northern and Arctic regions, circumpolar Europe, North America and Asia. On the other hand, deer are acclimatised to milder temperatures and can be found everywhere except Australia and Antarctica, in meadows and woodlands.
Typically, reindeer are in the habit of migrating seasonally. In late spring and summer, they may be found in the Arctic tundra before moving inland to the boreal forests in winter.
Reindeer are not the only deer species to migrate, with some herds of whitetail deer and mule deer migrating in North America. In the UK, deer tend to move less in the winter to conserve their energy, although some move to more sheltered woodland to combat the harsher climate.
Do reindeer and deer share the same diet?
Reindeer and deer are both grazing animals. Generally, all deer diets may contain grasses, sedges, leaves and shoots of trees or fruits and berries. However, reindeer will also eat small rodents, eggs and fish, showing that their diet is more varied. In winter, reindeer may rely on fungi and lichen, and will scrape the snow away with their hooves to find these.
How to tell the difference between a reindeer and a deer?
One of the easiest ways to distinguish reindeer from deer, and males from females, is by the presence of antlers. Reindeer are the only deer species to have seasonal antlers as males shed their antlers in the autumn and regrow them the following spring, while females retain their antlers until spring, because access to food is critical during their winter pregnancy.
In comparison, only male deer, bucks, grow antlers. Deer antlers are pointy, long and forked.
Other differences between reindeer and deer comes from adaptations to their environment. For example, reindeer are the only deer species to have hair completely covering their nose. This warms incoming cold air and improves their sense of smell – helpful when your food source is hidden under snow.
When looking at a reindeer, you will see a coat of dense fur, with varied colourations of light brown and dark, depending on the habitat. Their antlers are stubby and rounded. Reindeer legs are lengthy but stumpy, with large hooves to help them get around in snow.
Although there are many species of deer, their coats are (generally) much thinner than reindeer fur. Colourations can include reddish-brown to grey-brown and cream undersides. Their fur colour is dependent on the species and is much softer than reindeer fur.
In the UK, red deer, the biggest of the six species of British deer, is 1.4 metres tall and around 190kg in weight. In comparison, reindeer weigh around 120kg and are 1.2 metres tall. The largest species of deer in the world is a moose (also known as an elk). Moose weigh between 380-850kg and can grow up to 2.1 metre tall.
Discover more species of deer
- Roe deer guide: what they eat, how big they are and how to age a roe deer by their antlers
- Muntjac deer: what they are, why they bark, why they have fangs - and what's so special about a muntjac's face and its glands
- Fallow deer guide
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