Bizzare drone video catches reindeer walking in a hypnotic circle continuously

Charles Darwin’s concept of "survival of the fittest" has countless examples in nature, each showcasing unique strategies for survival. One such example recently went viral—a drone clip capturing a herd of reindeer moving together in a swirling cyclone. According to My Modern Met, this mesmerizing formation is actually a defense strategy reindeer use when they feel threatened.

Representational Image Source: Reindeer herd grazing in the snow in the arctic landscape at Kval++ysletta, Kvaloya Island, Tromso in Arctic Circle Northern Norway (Photo by Tim Graham/Getty Images)

Like many animal species, reindeer have developed unique strategies to protect themselves from danger. Their method involves placing the most vulnerable members at the center while the herd runs in circles, making it nearly impossible for predators to target an individual. These intense formations are often referred to as “reindeer cyclones.”

Representative Image Source: Svalbard reindeer graze during a summer heat wave on Svalbard archipelago on July 29, 2020 near Longyearbyen, Norway. (Photo by Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

This phenomenon was first discovered by the Vikings, whose way of life was very much connected to hunting reindeer. In this defense strategy, the stronger reindeer from the herd start circling the young and vulnerable ones to protect them from predators, inadvertently creating a cyclone effect. This unique sighting was also featured in the 2019 PBS production "Wild Way of the Vikings." Depicting the Viking lifestyle in the year 1000 AD, the video highlights a striking overhead sequence of reindeer going into a spiral formation to confuse a Viking aiming at them with a bow and arrow.

There have been more insightful observations in the reindeer cyclones by Yngve Espmark from the Department of Zoology of the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The 2002 study titled "Behavioral lateralization in reindeer" concluded that upon feeling threatened, reindeer invariably rotated leftwards.

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A clip of this reindeer phenomenon has been doing the rounds on the internet after an X user, Science girl (@gunsnrosesgirl3), posted it on the platform. The video shows a hypnotic reindeer cyclone in Russia's Kola Peninsula with the caption, "Reindeer Cyclones are a real thing... a swirling mass of threatened reindeer stampeding in a circle making it impossible to target an individual.. here the fawns are in the middle. This herd is on Russia’s Kola Peninsula, in the Arctic Circle." In the X thread, the user credited photographer Lev Fedoseyev for the video.

The video sparked a large response, with some users noting that reindeer aren't the only animals to use this strategy. @DavidSandow1 pointed out that even sheep follow the same behavior. He commented, "Sheep do the same thing with dingoes around." Another user, @anwit07, commented that she once saw geese doing the same, "I saw a flock of geese circle like that when a hawk approached," she wrote.

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The next time you decide to watch the animated film "Frozen," you might come across a scene where all the reindeer run together in a big circle. The character Sven might look happy, but in reality, happy reindeer don’t run in circles. If you see such reindeer cyclones in the future, know that they are feeling threatened by the presence of a predator and are, hence, setting up a defensive perimeter for their younger clan.