Norwegian Lemming
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The lemming resembles a mouse but has a short tail and fur covered feet. The rodent is the most numerous animal in its habitat and is a source of food for many predators. When their population levels become too high lemmings undertake mass migrations to find new feeding grounds. Many drown while trying to cross the sea. In the year 1532 it was believed that the lemmings were committing suicide.

Habits: The Norwegian lemming lives 3,250 feet above sea level in the open, swampy flatlands of the tundra (arctic plain). In summer it burrows under tree stumps, fallen tree trunks, or rocks, where it digs a short tunnel and a small chamber that it lines with grass. In winter the lemming retreats to a meadow, where it builds a dry, rounded nest of grass that it lines with moss and lichen. The nest is located on the ground under the snow or in the branches of a small, snow covered shrub. In the spring thaw, when its nest in the meadow becomes flooded, the lemming moves to higher ground. In fall the lemming travels from its summer to winter quarters and lives temporarily in woody marshes.

Food and Feeding: The lemming eats the tender shoots of grasses and other grasslike plants, as well as bark, leaves, berries, moss, and lichens. Even when the ground is covered with snow, the lemming feeds by digging tunnels to reach vegetation that is buried under the snow. The lemming searches for food day and night, alternately feeding and resting every two hours. The lemming’s teeth are sharp enough to chew bark.

Predators: The Norwegian lemming is the most plentiful of all the plant eating animals in its habitat. It is an important part of the food chain and is itself food for many predators. Birds such as suka, snowy and great gray owls, buzzards, gyrfalcons, and gulls, and mammals such as wolves, bears, wolverines, ermines, and foxes all prey on the lemming.

Behavior: Norwegian lemmings make two kinds of migration: seasonal and periodic. Their seasonal migrations between summer and winter quarters cover only short distances. But their periodic migrations take them great distances to much lower altitudes than the tundra. Every three to four years the lemming population becomes too large for the available food resources. Many lemmings are forced to migrate in search of food. The usually solitary lemmings become part of a mass migration.
When lemmings migrate they do not travel to a specific destination. They are simply moving away from their crowded feeding grounds in search of new ones.

They sometimes follow paths and roads that lead them directly through areas of human habitation. The lemmings show little fear of people. Many lemmings die during the migration from disease, starvation, accident, drowning, and attack from predators. While they are moving in such large numbers, the lemmings make easy prey for their predators. Thus, the periodic migration helps to control the lemmings’ numbers.

Breeding: The lemming can produce a litter as large as 12 young every month, year round. Females from the first and second litters often breed within a few weeks of being born. Lemmings are born blind. But they mature quickly and need only a short period of maternal care. The female nurses the newborn for 16 days, after which they can fend for themselves. When food is scarce, or when lemmings are forced to migrate to new feeding areas, their reproductive capacity automatically slows down.

Key Facts:
Sizes:
Length: 4-6 in.
Weight: 1-4 oz.

Breeding:
Sexual maturity: Can be as young as 14 days in females
Mating: Year round in favorable conditions
Gestation: 16-21 days
No. of young: Up to 12. May have 3 or more litters a year.

Lifestyle:
Habit: Solitary. Sociable when moving to new feeding areas
Diet: A variety of plant matter
Lifespan: Rarely more than 2 years

Related Species: There are 12 species of lemming, grouped in 4 genera, living throughout cold regions in the northern hemisphere.
Distribution: The Norwegian lemming is confined to the northern alpine and tundra areas of Scandinavia and the Soviet Union.
Conservation: The lemming is in no danger of extinction. Population is controlled by predators and by the lemming’s self regulating mechanism that reduces reproduction when conditions are unfavorable.

The Lemming’s Migration: As the lemming population increases there is more competition for available food resources. Every few years the lemmings are forced to either migrate to new habitats or die of starvation. They travel in huge groups, heading downhill from the tundra. They are so desperate to find food that little deters them from moving forward. Lemmings may travel long distances to find new feeding grounds, and many die on the journey.

Did You Know:
The first known account of the lemmings’ mass migration is from the year 1532. At that time people believed that the lemmings were committing suicide.
One pair of lemmings kept in captivity produced eight litters in 167 days.
Contrary to popular belief, lemmings are not good swimmers. They are easily exhausted and drown within 15 to 25 minutes of entering the water.
The lemmings’ waterproof fur is essential to its survival in the cold northern climate.
Females can become pregnant at 14 days of age.