Scientists have discovered that the reason behind Rudolph's red nose is the excess amount of red blood cells, which keeps him warm in the cold.
Christmas is incomplete without the popular holiday song "Rudolph the Red Noise Reindeer". Now, a group of British researchers have found that Santa's favorite reindeer, has a red nose because of the large amount of red blood cells in his nose that helps regulate his brain and keep him warm in the cold.
During the course of the study, scientists first measured the noses of five healthy human volunteers and found a circulating blood vessel density of 15 mm/mm2 with a hand-held video microscope.
When the same technique was applied to a couple of reindeers, it was found that they contained 25 percent higher number of blood vessels that comprised of a higher concentration of red blood cells.
Apart from this, a high density of mucous glands scattered throughout the reindeer noses were also found. According to researchers, these help "maintain an optimal nasal climate during changing weather conditions and extremes of temperature as well as being responsible for fluid transport and acting as a barrier."
"The microcirculation of the nasal mucosa in reindeer is richly vascularised and 25% denser than that in humans," the authors said. "These factors explain why the nose of Rudolph, the lead flying reindeer employed by Santa Claus to pull his sleigh, is red and well adapted to carrying out his duties in extreme temperatures."