Can you recall all Santa Claus's eight reindeer by names? "Now, Dasher! Now, Dancer! Now, Prancer, and Vixen! On, Comet! On, Cupid! On, Dunder and Blixem! To the top of the porch! To the top of the wall!" goes the 1823 poem by Clement C. Moore. By default, many considered the magical animals were male, but one extraordinary theory regarding their gender has recently triggered a hot online debate.
READ MORE: Christmas Thongs? Granny Accidentally Decorates Tree With… Panties (PHOTO)
According to Cat Reynolds, a student from New York, Santa's sleigh team is all-women as they all have splendid antlers, while male reindeer drop theirs in winter.
MALE REINDEER LOSE THEIR ANTLERS IN WINTER AND FEMALES DON'T THEREFORE SANTA'S SLEIGH IS ACTUALLY PULLED BY A TEAM OF STRONG, POWERFUL, UNDERRATED WOMEN!!!!! YOU GO, GIRLS!! I SEE YOU!!!
— Cat Reynolds (@catreynoldsnyc) 11 декабря 2017 г.
Obviously, the bold claim has gone viral, sending Twitter into a frenzy of excitement.
— Grinch Tits (@princess_oddity) 12 декабря 2017 г.
Thankfully Santa is a man and knows directions or they'd never find where they're going.
— Austin Bonds (@SoCalAustin) 12 декабря 2017 г.
Many people were delighted by this suggestion, sharing it to their followers with great enthusiasm.
Today I heard that Santa’s reindeer are female not male because male’s antlers are too heavy. Who run the sleigh? Girls!
— Kayla ✨ (@kkrha) 14 декабря 2017 г.
Did you know that male reindeer lose their antlers in December? That means Santa’s sled is pulled by strong, independent and reliable female reindeer who've been unfairly passed off as male. #sexismiseverywhere #femalesarestrongashell
— Bindiya Thomas (@BindiyaThomas) 13 декабря 2017 г.
But a lot of users responded with doubt and disbelief. Some were completely upset with the pro-girl reindeer hypothesis.
i’m reporting this tweet. rudolph and his boys are not women.
— Lindsey Hunter (@lindztweetz13) 13 декабря 2017 г.
You know if Santa’s reindeer are magical enough to fly, they might be magical enough to not shed their antlers
— Gabe Ramirez (@ThingsWithGabe) 13 декабря 2017 г.
Santa doesn't exist anyway, d'you really think it has to be logical? Lmao
— Peckorama one (@Nolugik_MC) 12 декабря 2017 г.
Others argued the animals could be males but castrated or not fully mature ones.
Interestingly enough, young male caribou also can keep their antlers until spring, especially subspecies found in Europe. So they could also be not fully mature males.
— William Newman (@WillLiamNewman) 13 декабря 2017 г.
— des🌙 (@des_tin_eee) 12 декабря 2017 г.
Interestingly, the science is on Cat's side; according to a study made by a team from University of Alaska Fairbanks, male reindeer indeed shed their antlers at the end of the mating season in early December, while females sport their thinner antlers throughout the winter.
Chicago Zoological Society's experts wrote the same in their blog. "Adult male reindeer will lose their antlers in early December, so we are certain, scientifically speaking, Santa's reindeer aren't adult males. Female reindeer will keep their entire rack until the summer. Their rack stays longer so they can protect their babies from predators," they said in a post.
