Santa’s reindeer not found in Wyoming

Someone recently asked Wyoming Gane and Fish a question about Santa’s reindeer. Sheridan Media reporter Pat Blair found the response and did a little additional research on her own. Here’s her story.

Someone recently asked Scott Edberg, deputy chief of wildlife for Wyoming’s Game and Fish Department, if the reindeer that pull Santa’s sleigh can be found in Wyoming.

According to Edberg, the short answer is … no.

But, he said, Wyoming does boast some wonderful members of the deer family, including white-tailed and mule deer, elk and the largest member of the deer family – moose.

According to information found online, white-tailed and mule deer both have relatives elsewhere in the U.S. The black-tailed deer of the Pacific Northwest is a subspecies of mule deer, and the Key deer of Florida is a subspecies of white-tailed deer.

The elk found in Wyoming are members of a subspecies known as the Rocky Mountain elk.

There is one other horned, deerlike animal found in Wyoming. That’s the pronghorn antelope which, technically, isn’t an antelope at all.

The pronghorn is, in fact, the only surviving member of a family that was more numerous in prehistoric times. Though the pronghorn resembles the true antelope, according to information on the Internet, it’s actually more closely related to giraffes and okapi.