Norway lemming
The Norwegian lemming is a small rodent belonging to the family Muridae, typically found in the northern regions of Scandinavia and the former Soviet Union. With a body length of 4 to 5.5 inches and varying fur colors including brown, black, yellow, and white, these creatures resemble mice and possess whiskers that aid in navigation. Contrary to popular myth, Norwegian lemmings do not commit mass suicide by jumping off cliffs; instead, they migrate in search of better food sources, leading to some fatalities along the way.
These rodents primarily inhabit open, swampy flatlands, creating burrows in summer and building dry nests under snow or low branches in winter. Their diet consists of tender grass shoots, bark, leaves, berries, moss, and lichen, and they are known to dig through snow to access food during colder months. Breeding occurs year-round, with females capable of producing multiple litters, and they can mate soon after birth. Norwegian lemmings play an important ecological role, serving as prey for various predators, including snowy owls and foxes, and generally have a life span of one to two years.
Subject Terms
Norwegian lemming
It was once thought that lemmings threw themselves off cliffs, committing suicide. Actually, they were migrating to find better food sources and some of them died along the way.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Muridae
Genus: Lemnus
Species: Lemnus
Norwegian lemmings have brown, black, yellow, and white fur and look a lot like mice. Like other rodents, they have whiskers that help them find their way around. The Norwegian lemming grows to a head and body length of between 4 and 5 1/2 inches (10 to 14 centimeters) with a 1- to 1 1/2-inch (2 1/2- to 3- centimeter) tail. It weighs about 3/4 of an ounce (15 grams).
Norwegian lemmings usually live alone in the open, swampy flat lands of northern Scandinavia and the Commonwealth of Independent States (former Soviet Union). During the summer they burrow under tree stumps and fallen trees. In the winter they build dry, round nests under the snow or in low tree branches. When food is scarce lemmings will gather together to find better living conditions. It was once thought that lemmings threw themselves off cliffs, committing suicide. Actually, large groups were migrating to find better food sources and some of them died along the way.
Norwegian lemmings eat the tender shoots of grass and other grass-like plants. They also eat bark, leaves, berries, moss, and lichen. During the winter they dig through the snow to the growth buried underneath.
Breeding season for the lemmings is year-round. The gestation period (duration of pregnancy) is 16 to 28 days. The females then give birth to a litter of up to 12 young. The mothers nurse their young for about 16 days. Females can mate at the age of 14 days. Mating slows down when food is scarce. One pair of lemmings in captivity produced eight litters in five months.
Norwegian lemmings are preyed on by snowy owls, great gray owls, buzzards, gulls, wolves, bears, wolverines, and foxes.
Norwegian lemmings have a life span of one to two years.