The Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) is a small subspecies or species of reindeer found on the Svalbard archipelago of Norway. Males average 65–90 kg (143–198 lb) in weight, females 53–70 kg (117–154 lb),[2] while for other reindeer generally body mass is 159–182 kg (351–401 lb) for males and 80–120 kg (180–260 lb) for females.[3]
The species is endemic to the islands of Svalbard, where it has lived for at least 5,000 years and has become well adapted to the harsh climate,[4][5] being found on nearly all non-glaciated areas of the archipelago. By 1925 they had almost gone extinct due to over-hunting in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Over recent decades, their population has increased. As of 2019, the total population across the archipelago is approximately 22,000.[6] They are the only large grazing mammal in the European High Arctic, and this makes them exceptional for studies concerning the introduction of pollutants to changing ecosystems. During the short Arctic summer, Svalbard reindeer feed on a lush tundra vegetation of vascular plants, including grasses, herbs, sedges and deciduous shrubs in the lowland plains and valleys, to accumulate fat for the winter.[7] The fur of Svalbard reindeer contains elements and chemicals picked up from the vegetation they digest. They are relatively sedentary, and are thus highly vulnerable to changes in local conditions.[8]
Svalbard reindeer running
Compared to other reindeer, they are short-legged and have a small, rounded head.[2] Their fur is also lighter in color and thicker during winter. The thickness of the coat contributes to the short-legged appearance and makes even starved animals appear fat in the winter. The males develop large antlers during the period from April to July and shed the velvet during August–September. Males lose their antlers in early winter. Females develop antlers starting in June and they are usually retained for a whole year.[2]
Female Svalbard reindeer with calvesSvalbard reindeer hunting exhibition at the Polar Museum [no] in Tromsø, Norway
Some 200 reindeer were found starved to death in July 2019.[9] Rain on snow early in the winter season formed thick layers of ice on the tundra, making grazing plants inaccessible, a result of the warmer temperatures due to climate change.[10]
^Gunn, A. (2016). "Rangifer tarandus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T29742A22167140. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020.
^ abcAanes, R. "Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus)". Norwegian Polar Institute. Archived from the original on 30 March 2020.
^"Caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti)". Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
^Aasheim, Stein P. (2008). Norges nasjonalparker: Svalbard [Norwegian National Park: Svalbard] (in Norwegian). Oslo: Gyldendal. pp. 34–36. ISBN 978-82-05-37128-6.
^Lauritzen, Per Roger, ed. (2009). "Svalbardrein, Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus Vrolik" [Svalbard reindeer, Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus Vrolik]. Norsk Fjelleksikon (in Norwegian). Friluftsforlaget. ISBN 978-82-91-49547-7.
^"Svalbard reindeer populations rebounding from centuries of hunting". EurekAlert!. 2 December 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2020.
^Zielińska, Sylwia; Kidawa, Dorota; Stempniewicz, Lech; Łoś, Marcin; Łoś, Joanna M. (2017). "DNA extracted from faeces as a source of information about endemic reindeer from the High Arctic: Detection of Shiga toxin genes and the analysis of reindeer male-specific DNA" (PDF). Polar Biology. 40 (3): 659–666. doi:10.1007/s00300-016-1990-2.
^Pacyna, A.; Koziorowska, K.; Chmiel, S.; Mazerski, J.; Polkowska, Z. (2018). "Svalbard reindeer as an indicator of ecosystem changes in the Arctic terrestrial ecosystem". Chemosphere. 203: 203, 209–218. Bibcode:2018Chmsp.203..209P. doi:10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.03.158. PMID 29621677. S2CID 5045697.
^Weisberger, Mindy (29 July 2019). "More Than 200 Reindeer Found Dead in Norway, Starved by Climate Change". Live Science.
^Pedersen, Åshild Ønvik (28 May 2019). "Norsk Polarinstitutt" [Norwegian Polar Institute]. Norsk Polarinstitutt (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 30 March 2020.
The Svalbardreindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) is a small subspecies or species of reindeer found on the Svalbard archipelago of Norway. Males...
adapted for long-distance migration. Reindeer vary greatly in size and color from the smallest, the Svalbardreindeer (R. (t.) platyrhynchus), to the largest...
for the polar night. Many seabirds use Svalbard as a breeding ground, and it is home to polar bears, reindeer, the Arctic fox, and certain marine mammals...
compensates for the polar night. Svalbard is a breeding ground for many seabirds, and also supports polar bears, arctic foxes, reindeer and marine mammals. Six...
and posted photos, of a rare white reindeer calf. The Svalbardreindeer (R. tarandus platyrhynchus) from Svalbard Island is very small compared to other...
terrestrial mammalian species inhabit the archipelago: the Arctic fox, the Svalbardreindeer, and accidentally introduced southern vole—which is only found in...
Svalbard is a Norwegian archipelago in the Arctic Ocean. The climate of Svalbard is principally a result of its latitude, which is between 74° and 81°...
species. An example of the former can be found in Pyramiden, where Svalbardreindeer can be seen grazing on the central square's overgrown lawns, in which...
Cervidae (deer) Subfamily: Capreolinae Genus: Rangifer Reindeer, R. tarandus VU Svalbardreindeer, R. t. platyrhynchus List of chordate orders Lists of...
frog. There are four terrestrial mammalian species on Svalbard, the Arctic fox, the Svalbardreindeer, the polar bear and the accidentally introduced southern...
pearyi. (see Reindeer). Reindeer on the island group of Svalbard have recently been classified as a full species, R. platyrhinchus. See Reindeer. Many other...
forest reindeer (Rangifer fennicus fennicus (Finnish: metsäpeura, Russian: лесной северный олень), also known as Eurasian or European forest reindeer is a...
mammalian species inhabit the archipelago: the Arctic fox and the Svalbardreindeer. There are 15 to 20 types of marine mammals, including whales, dolphins...
north being tundra inhabited by reindeer and walruses. The island is uninhabited and lies entirely within Nordaust-Svalbard Nature Reserve. English walrus...
PMID 6614331. Reimers, E.; Eftestøl, S. (2012). "Response Behaviors of SvalbardReindeer Towards Humans and Humans Disguised as Polar Bears on Edgeøya". Arctic...
Archived from the original on 6 March 2012. "Rabies detected in a Svalbardreindeer". Archived from the original on 2022-03-11. Retrieved 2020-02-21....
Reindeer in South Georgia are an example of an animal which has been introduced outside its native range. The reindeer, a species of deer adapted to arctic...
wildlife, with several significant avifaunas, a small population of Svalbardreindeer, the world's northernmost population of harbor seals and two roosting...
Reinsdyrflya (Reindeer peninsula) is a peninsula in Haakon VII Land at Spitsbergen, Svalbard, Norway. It defines the western side of the outer part of...
(Kamchatkan reindeer) R. t. platyrhynchus (Svalbardreindeer) R. t. sibiricus (Siberian tundra reindeer) R. t. tarandus (Mountain reindeer) R. t. terraenovae...
of Northern Asia, and the reindeer that live there. It involves the nomadic reindeer herders, those that hunt wild reindeer and those who maintain domesticated...
The polar archipelago of Svalbard was first discovered by Willem Barentsz in 1596, although there is disputed evidence of use by Pomors or Norsemen. Whaling...
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