BRIDGEPORT — Santa Claus may not yet be in town, but his reindeer are.

Connecticut’s only zoo has announced that its seasonal exhibit of reindeer is now open. Beardsley Zoo is presenting daily visits with its special guests between the hours of 10:30 am and 3:30 pm daily until December 23.

Beardsley Zoo educators and volunteers will provide educational talks and oversee related crafts activities each weekend. The educators will discuss how reindeer have wide feet for better traction; clicking ankles, which are believed to help one reindeer herd locate another in blinding snow storms; two types of hair (an outer layer of hollow gourd hairs and a thick, curly underfur layer for warmth and waterproofing); and small declaws on the backside of each leg near the feet, which help support a reindeer’s body on soft ground and snow.

Educators will also discuss with zoo visitors the Saami, nomadic people who herd reindeer in Finland, Sweden, Norway and Russia.

After seeing the reindeer, zoo visitors can enjoy warming up in the New World Tropics Rainforest Building and The Victorian Greenhouse. The zoo’s main gift shop and carousel-themed gift shop will both be open for holiday shopping.

Also, in the spirit of the season Beardsley Zoo is sponsoring a food drive for local food banks and local animal shelters. All visitors are invited to donate a non-perishable food item and/or pet food at the zoo’s front gate any time during the holiday season.

Zoo admission is $6 for adults, $4 for ages 3-11 and seniors, and free for children under 3. Beardsley Zoo is at 1875 Noble Avenue; signs are posted from the Route 25 Connector. For additional information, call 203/394-6569.

The Saami & Reindeer

The Saami are divided into a number of tribes across the northern tips of Sweden, Norway, Finland and Russia. The Saami have had a relationship with reindeer since long before recorded history. The Saami have come to rely on reindeer because of the animal’s adaptation to the bitter cold climate of Eurasia.

Aside from use as a transport animal, the Saami also milk reindeer. All parts of a butchered animal are used, including the intestines, which would provide vitamins that would otherwise be impossible to obtain.

Tendons and sinews from reindeer are also used, for sewing. In the past, the Saami cone-shaped tents, called Laitok/Lavvu, would be sewn together using reindeer tendons. Today many of the tents are created and held together using more modern fabrics and bindings. However, the Saami continue to use the animal’s tendons for their shoes and clothing.

Reindeer are marked with a set of cuts on their ears, making identification of each reindeer easier, as well as ownership.

Reindeer are allowed to graze throughout the year in areas called reindeer herding districts, which can range in size from 1,000 to 5,000 square kilometers.

Reindeer Facts

Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) are vegetarians. They like to eat grasses, mosses, birch and willow leaves and mushrooms during the summer months. In winter and spring, they like lichens. Only occasionally will a reindeer want to eat a small mammal or eggs.

The reindeer’s original habitat ranges from Norway to northern Asia. In Eurasia, reindeer are classified as either domesticated or wild. In North America they are called reindeer if they are of a Eurasian domesticated variety, or a caribou if of wild variety.

Reindeer are approximately 28½ inches tall when they are born. By the time they are yearlings, they are about 37 inches tall. By adult age a female reindeer is 381/2 inches tall, a male is 43 inches. Calves measure 27½ inches in length (going from shoulder to rump). An adult female averages 38 inches in length, and a male is 46 inches long.

Reindeer are pretty heavy animals. A female reindeer can weigh 14.61 pounds at birth and her male counterpart weighs in at 15.29 pounds. By the time they reach their first June (calving), a female will weigh around 56 pounds, and a male will be 60.5 pounds. The following January, a female will be up to 123 pounds, a male 132.4 pounds.

During adulthood, a reindeer’s weight will fluctuate by season. Between the height of summer and the middle of winter, a female will weigh in at 162 (July) to 187 pounds (January). A male will range from 203 pounds in the summer to 219 in winter.

Both male and female reindeer grow antlers throughout the summer, with new antlers fully grown by July (but they do not harden until the fall). Antlers are covered with vascularized tissue, called velvet, in the summer.

Males drop their antlers in winter, but pregnant females usually retain theirs until after they give birth in spring. Calving generally takes place during April and May.

Reindeer can reproduce as early as one year of age, and can continue to reproduce until approximately age ten. Reindeer usually live 10 to 15 years. Disease, predation and unpredictable weather are among the factors that can shorten their life expectancy. Reindeer’s predators include the brown bear, foxes, wolverines and wolves.