Friday, June 6, 2008

The Collared Lemming




Lemmings are small rodents, usually found in or near the Arctic, in tundra biomes. Together with the voles and muskrats, they make up the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae), which forms part of the largest mammal radiation by far, the superfamily Muroidea, which also includes the rats, mice, hamsters, and gerbils.

Description and habitat
Lemmings weigh from 30 to 112 grams (1–4 oz) and are about 7 to 15 centimetres (2.75–6 in) long. They generally have long, soft fur and very short tails. They are herbivorous, feeding mostly on leaves and shoots, grasses, and sedges in particular, but also on roots and bulbs. Like other rodents, their incisors grow continuously, allowing them to exist on much tougher forage than would otherwise be possible.

Lemmings do not hibernate through the harsh northern winter. They remain active, finding food by burrowing through the snow and utilising grasses clipped and stored in advance. They are solitary animals by nature, meeting only to mate and then going their separate ways, but like all rodents they have a high reproductive rate and can breed rapidly in good seasons.

There is little to distinguish a lemming from a vole. Most lemmings are members of the tribe Lemmini (one of the three tribes that make up the subfamily).

Behavior
The behavior of lemmings is much the same as that of many other rodents which have periodic population booms and then disperse in all directions, seeking the food and shelter that their natural habitat cannot provide.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I know that this appeal will probably not work james but I think that some lemmings are really lovely, principled, caring animals. I can imagine that they would like to move to a new 'town'*, join a new clan that would accept them and listen to them. I would like to invite them to join the 'Douglas' pairie dogs. There is no need for these progressive lemmings to rush off the nearest cliff.


* The highly social prairie dog live in large colonies or "towns" – collections of prairie dog families that can span hundreds of acres.