Red nose helps Rudolph survive the cold

“Rudolph the red nosed reindeer had an unusually high red blood cell count in his nostrils, and if you ever saw him, you would think it’s to help regulate brain temperature in freezing conditions...”

Trust a bunch of egg-headed doctors and Santa-obsessed scientists to take all the mystery out of a fun Christmas carol. Research published in the British Medical Journal has uncovered the real reason why Santa asks his favourite flying friend to help drive the sleigh every Christmas Eve.

According to Dutch and Norwegian experts, the noteworthy colour of the popular reindeer’s nose all comes down to basic anatomical science.

Due to the fact that Rudolph lives in the North Pole, he is regularly faced with sub-zero temperatures.

As such, his body has to protect itself from the damaging cold faced in the region, which regularly sees temperatures plummet to as low as -40C.

Rudolph — who, as sleigh leader, has to put up with more of the chill winds than others — has a natural ability to cope with polar winds, as he has developed an unusually high concentration of red blood cells.

This helps to regulate his brain temperature, effectively preventing the vital Christmas character from freezing in mid-air and nose-diving to the ground in an icicle-laden heap.

The scientists behind the study uncovered the remarkable ability by examining the “micro-vessel” blood cells carried in the nose of all animals, including humans, which are used to control body temperature and inflammation.

Using a hand-held video microscope to assess the nostrils of five healthy people — and two reindeer, of course — they found that the density of blood vessels carrying a high concentration of red blood cells was 25% higher in normal reindeers.

Normal reindeers also have a large amount of mucus glands in their nostrils, which help to “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”.

And in Rudolph’s case, it is claimed that the increase compared to people is even more pronounced.

“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,” the team said.

* The BMJ video that explains the science behind the Rudolph research can be viewed here