Why rudolph has a red nose

You know, the one in charge of all the science and technology here at the North Pole. As well as being a skilled flyer, his nose glows bright red. Well, many organisms on Earth use a neat little scientific trick called bioluminescence to create light. Sea creatures at the bottom of the oceans can make light by mixing certain chemical compounds together to produce a glow to help locate prey, whilst fireflies flash light at each other in order to attract mates.

All reindeers have many more blood vessels in their noses than humans have. This helps them to breathe in the extreme cold of the North Pole. So really there was no need for any of the other reindeer to shun Rudolph or exclude him from any reindeer games.

Just like every other reindeer, Rudolph breathes oxygen through his nose, which is made up of two layers — the dermis the thick, inner layer of skin that contains blood vessels and hair follicles and the epidermis the thin, outer layer that you can see and touch. You must be over the age of Privacy notice. Smart cookie preferences. Change cookie preferences Accept all cookies. Skip to content. Read later. You don't have any saved articles.

By Emily Osterloff. A red-nosed reindeer might not be as unusual as you think. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer is a Christmas icon, immortalised in books, songs and films. But the cause of the beloved cervid's crimson nose has often been the subject of festive debate. Meet the snot bot Reindeer suffer with symptoms similar to a cold, such as coughing and spluttering - and maybe even that legendary red nose.

The cause is not a common cold, however, but an infestation of fly larvae. It would then, perhaps, be no surprise to see a reindeer with a very shiny nose. A closer look at botflies A reindeer warble fly Hypoderma tarandi. A botfly larva. When Rudolph is in the extreme cold temperatures at the North Pole or flying through the sky high up in the atmosphere, the blood flow to his nose helps keep him warm and his brain active.

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