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AlterNet reports:
We've been getting Rudolph completely wrong.
For a start, Rudolph and team are probably female. All the images I've seen of Rudolph clearly show a reindeer proudly sporting antlers. Reindeer are the only deer where both sexes grow antlers, but the males lose them around Christmas time and regrow them in the spring, ready for the mating season. The only way a male reindeer can hang on to his magnificent headgear through the festive season is to be castrated. Losing the source of the sex hormones upsets the antler cycle--and probably the reindeer too.
We need to talk about that nose as well. The red glow from Rudolph's most famous attribute is probably caused by something more serious than a bad cold. Reindeer noses are a brilliant product of evolutionary adaptation to a harsh environment. The nasal passages contain many elaborate folds covered in blood vessels. When a reindeer breathes in, the abundant blood vessels warm up the air keeping the inside of the reindeer nice and warm even when the air around it is sub-zero. On the way out, the same blood vessels cool the air, minimising heat loss and retaining as much water vapour as possible.
The unfortunate downside of such an intricate nasal arrangement is that it is a very comfortable spot for parasites to lurk. There are 20 parasites unique to mainland reindeer, and many others that are just as happy in reindeer or other ruminants. That red nose is therefore probably due to parasitic infection and increased blood flow to the area where the body is doing its best to fight off invaders.
The article also addresses flying and mentions magic mushrooms, which we discussed during a previous Yule: How Santa Flies, Fits Down Chimneys, and Does Stuff You Can't Do
(Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Tuesday December 26 2017, @02:11PM (4 children)
Legend? Yeah, there's no freakin' legend. Rudolph was created by a marketing campaign for Montgomery Ward department store. Like many modern Christmas pop culture things, Rudolph was created to sell crap, the entire goal of the Christmas season for the past century or so.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday December 26 2017, @02:24PM
Someone is getting coal in their stocking.
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Tuesday December 26 2017, @11:39PM (2 children)
(Score: 2) by AthanasiusKircher on Thursday December 28 2017, @02:25AM (1 child)
Uh... It's a fact about Rudolph...one missing from the summary (and from most people's knowledge about Rudolph...perhaps those who think Rudolph is based on a "legend")???
(Score: 2) by EvilSS on Thursday December 28 2017, @05:04AM