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On Frosty! On Holiday! Dash Away to the Top of Cal Academy!

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Santa's sleigh is said to have eight tiny reindeer, but until January 3, the California Academy of Sciences will have two large ones: Frosty and Holiday. The reindeer duo landed there yesterday to much fanfare. The viewing of caribou at Cal Academy is something of a holiday tradition for many in the Bay Area. We asked the elves at natural history museum some burning reindeer questions.



Curbed: Where do they live?
Cal Academy: These particular reindeer are visiting us from a ranch in Southern California. In the wild, reindeer live in Arctic and subarctic regions of Europe, Asia, and North America. They live in tundra, open woodland, and mountain slope habitats.

Curbed: What do they eat?
Cal Academy: Reindeer diets include lichens, mosses, herbs, ferns, grasses, shoots, and leaves—and reindeer can actually smell food underneath the snow.

Curbed: What do they do at the museum?
Cal Academy: At the Academy, this reindeer pair reside in our East Garden as part of our 'Tis the Season for Science exhibit, which explores the science of reindeer. They enjoy a number of daily enrichment activities, including playing with tree branches, rubbing against car wash brushes, and dining on their favorite foods. Daily at 12 p.m. visitors can gather in the East Garden for a fun program called "Reindeer Rendezvous," where an Academy presenter shares fascinating facts about reindeer migration and adaptations.

· 'Tis the Season for Science [California Academy of Sciences]