Aerotarandusdynamics:
The Science of Flying Reindeer
Copyright 1993 by Edward Willett
At this festive season,
aerotarandusdynamics, one of the least-known branches of the vast tree
of science, finally comes into its own.
"Aerotarandusdynamics" comes
from "aero," air, "tarandus," the latter part of the
scientific name for reindeer, Rangifer tarandus, and
"dynamics," moving. Hence, aerotarandusdynamics is the
study of reindeer moving through the air: flying reindeer.
There are only nine known flying reindeer
in the world, which makes them an extremely endangered species .
All are domesticated and belong to an eccentric recluse who lives in the
Far North (as far north as you can get) and who will not make his herd
available for study.
Fortunately, this gentleman visits the
outside world every December 24 to deliver toys to good little children
everywhere. (There is considerable military interest in his techniques
for year-round surveillance of the world's youth, but that's another
column.) Observations gathered during these yearly jaunts provide
us with what little data we have concerning flying reindeer.
To begin with, since a male reindeer
usually controls several females, it's assumed that all the reindeer are
female except the leader, whose bright red nose could be a
gender-specific trait equivalent to the brilliant display feathers of
male birds. (This trait could help researchers pick flying
reindeer out of a herd of their earth-bound cousins, if any flying
reindeer still exist in the wild--far from certain.)
The reindeer's master eschews
conventional entrances in favor of the chimney, and thus requires the
herd to land on sloping, slippery rooftops. Their ability to do so
indicates their feet are probably broader and softer than the hard,
sharply pointed hooves of ordinary deer, which are notoriously unstable
on ice. (I refer you to the classic nature documentary Bambi,
with its extraordinary footage of a young white-tailed deer on a frozen
pond. Ignore the rabbit.) This adaptation probably helps
them perch in treetops or on mountain ledges, feeding on foliage other
animals cannot reach.
To fly, an object must generate enough
lift to overcome gravity. Airplane wings are designed so that the air
passing over them must travel further, and therefore faster, than the
air passing beneath them. Fast-moving air exerts less pressure
than slow-moving air, so the wings--and with them, the airplane--are
forced upward.
A large male reindeer such as the
quaintly named "Rudolph" stands 1.2 metres at the shoulder and
can weigh 115 kilograms. How can such a large animal generate
enough lift to fly? Well, both males and females have long,
slender antlers with branching points that are "palmate" --
broad and rather flat, like the palm of a hand.
Aerotarandusdynamicists theorize that in flying reindeer, these palmate
points have become exquisitely effective lifting bodies.
When the reindeer make high, bounding
leaps, the air rushes over their antlers, creating enough lift to send
them soaring. Once airborne, they use their broad feet to
"row" through the air, fast enough to keep them airborne and
even pull their corpulent owner in a sleigh.
This, at least, is the Standard Theory.
A new theory, gaining ground in the field's leading journal, Popular
Aerotarandusynamics, notes that reindeer, like other herbivores,
generate large quantities of lighter-than-air methane in their digestive
tracts. This suggests the creatures' weight could be partially
offset by gas, perhaps stored in a specialized bladder, but the
existence of such an organ must remain speculative until a specimen can
be dissected.
Supporters of this "Gasbag
Theory" also feel the Standard Theory does not explain the
reindeer's remarkable speed. They postulate a form of rocket
propulsion, again using internal methane. As with so many
aerotarandusdynamical questions, more field work is desperately needed.
This December 24, a small army (very
small indeed, for our troubled educational system produces almost no
aerotarandusdynamicists) will man rooftops around the globe, awaiting a
fleeting glimpse of the world's only flying-reindeer herd. Lack of
funding means they will not have the sophisticated instruments they
desperately need, but they hope to glean a few more scraps of data to
answer some of the burning questions in this exciting field of research.
So on Christmas Eve, as you toast by your
fire, spare a thought for these unsung heroes of science, shivering on
rooftops the world over in the pursuit of knowledge -- and should you
spot one on a rooftop near you, do your bit to support
aerotarandusdynamics research:
Don't call the police.
These weekly columns on science appear in the Regina
(Saskatchewan) Leader Post and Red Deer (Alberta) Advocate.. They are
available for one-time publication or regular syndication to any interested
newspapers, magazines or on-line publications. E-mail
me for details.
