#cervines

(Female reindeer. Image source)

Rangifer tarandus, also known as the caribou, is a cervid who lives in the Arctic. Both male and female reindeer grow antlers annually - certainly a strange feature within the Cervidae family!

(Male reindeer. Image source)

But that’s not all! Reindeer, like many animals, have a tapetum lucidum in their eyes. This reflective feature on their retinas allows them to collect more light than they otherwise would be able to, boosting their night vision. This is an important adaptation for animals that must live through the months-long polar night, and is nothing unusual.

What is unusual is that reindeer tapeta lucida change colour based on the seasons. They are golden in the summer and blue in the winter, reflecting much more light during the long dark winter months and protecting their eyes from the sun during the summer. You can read more about it and see the dissected eyeballs here!

Three Wild Reindeer by NixWerld on DeviantArt.

Zootopia Bucks by borba on DeviantArt.

The dollar bills that appear in pages 25 and 26 of my Zootopia fan comic "The Longest Night" are not similar to those in the film in the slightest. Even considering how meticulous Disney was in creating Zootopia's world, the original buck bills look like Monopoly money. So, I based these bills on real dollar bills, to give them a more "authentic" look.