Facts About Lemming

Lemmings are small rodents dwelling in and around the Arctic regions particularly in the tundra biomes. They are close relatives with the voles and the muskrats and belong to the family Cricetidae. Unlike, most of the animals residing the colder regions, these animals remain very active during the winter season finding food through the snow. Characteristically, these animals are solitary by nature and meet only to mate. They have periodic population booms particularly when the food is plentiful. Mostly, the young ones are born during the summer season.When the population of the lemmings increases in a particular area, they often migrate to other places in search of food and habitat. To know more about these unique animals, check out the information provided by us in the article below.

Lemming Facts

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Subphylum: Vertebrata

Class: Mammalia

Order: Rodentia

Family: Cricetidae

Subfamily: Arvicolinae

Tribe: Lemmini

Genus: Dicrostonyx, Lemmus, Synaptomys, Myopus

Length: 7 to 15 cm (2.8 to 5.9 in)

Weight: 30 to 112 g (1.1 to 4.0 oz)

Life Span: 2 years in the wild

Diet: Herbivorous, mainly eat grass, berries, moss, seeds and roots

Range: Northern Canada, North America, Asia, Europe and Alaska

Habitat: Open meadows and underground burrows

Age of Sexual Maturity: 5 weeks

Gestation Period: 23 to 26 days

Number of Offspring: Two or three

Interesting And Amazing Information On Lemming

Lemmings are the smallest animals in the Tundra.
Lemmings have a thick gray or brown fur that turns during the winter season. This is used as a protective mechanism helping them to camouflage with the snow.
The short legs, feet, tail and ears of the animal help them to keep the heat in.
Lemmings have very sharp teeth that enable them to gnaw through tangles of roots, moss and also soil.
These animals very frequently become the prey of owls, foxes, hawks, wolves and gyrfalcon.
Usually lemmings mate between the months March to September. They usually become pregnant during the summers giving birth to three litters per year.
The young ones or the baby lemmings are born under the snow and drink their mother’s milk for their survival.
Lemmings are great swimmers as they have water-proof furs. However, if they go in large groups in the water, most of them drown.
These animals make paths called runaways and tunnels under the snow and over roots.
A typical fact about lemmings is that their feet grows bigger during the winters and get smaller during the summers.
Lemmings make their nests out of their hair, moss, lichen and grass.

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