Reindeer Sparring, SvalbardSvalbard reindeer are the smallest subspecies, stocky and short legged, built for surviving conditions that would finish most animals. During the autumn rut, the males spar like this to establish dominance. It looks violent, and it can be, but most bouts are brief and ritualised. This pair went at it for several minutes on a slope of moss and lichen above Longyearbyen. The antlers on the left animal are stained red from shedding velvet, which gives