Reindeer and 'Magic Mushrooms': A Look at Intoxication

Reindeer in Arctic areas sometimes eat a type of mushroom called Amanita muscaria, which makes them act drunk.

These mushrooms contain chemicals that affect their brains, causing them to stumble, run around, and twitch.

The reindeer do this more often when food is hard to find, like in the winter.

Some people used to drink the reindeer's pee to get the same effects.

A professor at Harvard had a theory about this, suggesting that Santa's reindeers might be flying because they are hallucinating due to the mushrooms.

The practice has roots in indigenous and historical practices, though there isn't any concrete scientific research.