Don’t tell your kids, but Rudolph's red nose has a scientific explanation, reports Smithsonian.com. A group of researchers from the Netherlands and Norway say thatcertain species of real-life reindeer have red nosesbecause of densely packed blood vessels beneath the skin in order to supply blood and regulate body temperature in extreme environments. This species of deer - scientifically known as Rangifer tarandus - is native to Arctic regions in Alaska, Canada, Greenland, Russia and Scandinavia.
Part of the research included putting the reindeer on a treadmill and used infrared imaging to measure what parts of their bodies shed the most heat after exercise.
