Rudolph's nose is red thanks to tons of bloody mucus

We all know Rudolph the reindeer has a red nose, but have we ever stopped to think why it is that Santa's No. 1 sleigh puller has a schnoz so bright? Is it just full of holiday cheer? Is he the only reindeer with internal electrical wiring? Nope. Turns out Rudolph's nose is full of gross, red mucus. That's right. Researchers at the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, discovered that reindeer noses have mucus rich in red blood cells and feature a vessel density 25 percent higher than humans. All of this helps Rudolph handle his duties up there in the North Pole's extremes, but is much harder to sing about than a "very shiny nose." [Source]

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