Post-flight feast: Study suggests reindeer vision evolved to spot favorite food

While reindeer are famous for pulling Santa’s sleigh, it’s their vision that really sets them apart

CONCORD, N.H. -- Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer may have millions of carrots set out for him on Christmas Eve, but what about the rest of the year?

Finding food in a cold, barren landscape is challenging, but researchers from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire and the University of St. Andrews in Scotland report that reindeer eyes may have evolved to allow them to easily spot their preferred meal.

It's further evidence that while reindeer are famous for pulling Santa’s sleigh, it’s their vision that really sets them apart, says Nathaniel Dominy, a Dartmouth anthropology professor and co-author of a recent study published in the journal i-Perception.

“They’ve been sort of obscure and unheralded in the annals of visual neuroscience, but they’re having their moment because they have a really fascinating visual system,” he said in an interview.

Scientists have known for years that mirror-like tissue in reindeer eyes changes color from a greenish gold in the summer to vivid blue in the winter, a process that is thought to amplify the low light of polar winter. But they weren't sure what to make of another curious fact: Unlike other mammals, reindeer can see light in the ultraviolet spectrum.