Penguins! Sock skating! Frozen hot chocolate! These are just a few of the highlights of our 12 Days of Science celebration at Liberty Science Center, lasting from Dec. 26 through Jan. 1.

To help us kick off 12 Days of Science, we were joined by a very special visitor: a REAL reindeer!

Our guests had the unique experience of meeting a reindeer (recharging at LSC before heading back to the North Pole) and learning more about these fascinating animals.

Here are just a few amazing facts about reindeer:

• Both male and female reindeer grow antlers.
• Reindeer hooves expand in summer when the ground is soft and shrink in winter when the ground is hard.
• Reindeer fur consists of thick and hollow guard hairs, which trap air inside for insulation, and of dense underfur. In summer the fur is thinner and there is less underfur.
• Reindeer snouts are densely packed with blood vessels to warm air before it gets to the lungs.
• Some subspecies of reindeer have knees that make a clicking noise when they walk, which helps the animals stay together in a blizzard.
• Some reindeer migrate more than 3,000 miles a year – father than any other land mammal!

There’s something amazing happening every day during 12 Days of Science at Liberty Science Center, running through Jan. 1. Click here to learn more and get tickets.

12 Days of Science,  animals,  reindeer