Lemming (photo): Wild hermit rodent

Classification

Order: Rodents

Family: Hamster

Subfamily: Voles

Kingdom: Animals

Type: Chordates

Subtype: Vertebrates

Class: Mammals

Infraclass: Placental

Lemming is dressed in a motley coat, and she perfectly hides him from prying eyes.

This animal always travels alone and lives in a hole, tolerates cold well and calmly survives winter under cover snow.

Lemmings are actually quite active animals prefers to lead a solitary lifestyle.

His small body is wrapped in soft fur, the color of which will be depend on the species of the rodent. This animal eats vegetation and has a lot of natural enemies.

Lemmings are animals whose population is constantly is changing

Content

• 1 Habitat
• 2 Characteristic
• 3 Appearance
• 4 Key Features
• 5 Nutrition
• 6 Reproduction
• 7 Content and breeding

Habitat

Lemming lives in forest-tundra located in North America and Eurasia. It can also be found on the islands of the Arctic ocean, in the coastal areas of the Arctic that extend from Bering to the White Sea.

This animal is a native of Wrangel Island and Novosibirsk Islands, as well as Northern and New Earth.

Lemmings live in Russia. They can be found on territories stretching from the Far East and Chukotka to Kola Peninsula.

Representatives of all species tolerate harsh polar conditions

In winter, lemmming nests under snow cover, where the food for it is the rhizomes of various plants.

In the warm season, this animal digs long trenches with large number of winding moves. In one of these holes he equips yourself a nest.

Lemming holes affect the microrelief of the territory

Where lemmings live, there is always a marshland and humidity. They are whimsical to climate and overheating for these animals are very dangerous.

Characteristic

Lemming is a small rodent that is representative of the hamster family. In total there are about 20 species.

The animal moves on short legs, which are closer to claws grow in winter. The animal is digging snow with them, removing from under him food.

Lemming looks very cute, as he is dressed in a fluffy fur coat, which completely hides his little ears.

Variegated coloring allows him to perfectly mask in the grass in warm season – this can be seen in the next photo.

Compact and fast lemming becomes inconspicuous in the forest litter

Representatives of some species with the onset of cold weather molt and become brighter.

Thanks to this, the animal, like a polar fox, almost completely merges with snow.

Appearance

Lemming looks like an ordinary hamster. His body is dense, long reaches 10-15 cm. Mass ranges from 20 to 70 g.

Color can be monochrome, motley and gray-brown, which depends from the species of the animal. The tail is short, no more than 2 cm.

Interesting! Thanks to a minor size, such a tail does not prevent the animal from moving along narrow tunnels underground!

In Russia, there are 7 species of lemmings.

1. Forest, or Myopus schisticolor. Body about 8-13 cm long, wool is painted in blackish-gray color, located on the back rusty brown stain. Representatives of this species are distributed on territories of northern Mongolia and Kamchatka up to Scandinavia. Inhabits where there is a lot of moss – in mixed and coniferous forests – they and eats. Forest lemming is presented in the following photo.

Forest lemming equips its nest in the root system of trees

1. Norwegian, or Lemmus lemmus. Representatives of this species have body about 15 cm long. In the photo below, you can consider that on the back is a mottled coat that becomes especially bright in winter. A spot is traced from the nose to the shoulder blades saturated black, a dark strip stretches along the ridge, on the rest of the back is brownish yellow. Settles in the mountain tundra and migrates to the taiga zone. Lemmings related to this They don’t dig holes themselves, but prefer to inhabit natural shelters.

Besides green mosses, Norwegian lemmings eat cereals, sedge, reindeer moss and some berries, in particular lingonberries and blueberries

1. Siberian, or Lemmus sibiricus. The length of his body may vary from 14 to 16 cm. Such an animal weighs from 45 up to 130 g. Its coat is reddish yellow, located along the back black line. This color persists throughout the year and does not changing even by winter. The areas where he lives are rich in sedges, green moss and cotton grass. A representative of this species can be found in tundra regions of Russia.

Siberians can sometimes eat shrubs growing in the zone a habitat

1. Amur, or Lemmus amurensis. The body length of such an animal usually no more than 12 cm. It has a short tail, which can match the length of the back foot. Inner finger on forelimb is somewhat shortened and has a nail-like claw at the end can be forked. Soles on the paws are fleecy. IN in the summer months the animal has an even brown color with black strip running along the back. Approaching the head, this strip gradually expands and can spread into a wide spot. Wool on the lower surface of the head, on the sides and cheeks painted in saturated rust-red color. The abdomen is redder, but not so bright. On a black strip is visible to the muzzle, which passes through the eye on the side of the head to the ear. In winter, Amur lemmings “dress up” dark brown long fur that is gray or rusty plaque, while the dark strip can completely disappear. On The following photo shows a typical representative of this species.

In some individuals belonging to this species, on the chin and there may be a white spot near the lips

1. Ungulate, or Dicrostonyx torquatus. Compact body reaches a length of about 11-14 cm. As can be seen in the photo below, his fur painted in bright ash gray color with intense red areas on the head and sides, on the abdomen, the coat is dark gray. In winter, such a lemmming she’s sure to wear a white fur coat, and two claws on her front legs, located in the middle, will grow greatly.

The hoofed lemmings on the back clearly show black strip, and around the neck passes a light “collar”

1. Vinogradov, or Dicrostonyx vinogradovi. This is an island view with body length of about 17 cm. The largest representative of a kind. The fur located on the upper part of the body has an ash gray color. with a slight admixture of a chestnut shade. There are small cream spots. In the region of the sacrum, a black “strap” is pronounced, passing through the entire back. The fur on the head is dark gray, cheeks and the abdomen is slightly lighter, a small one is located at the base of the neck a spot of red tint. As you can see in the next photo, the side zones redheads. In young representatives of this species, the coat is dyed. evenly in grayish-brown color, black “strap” clearly visible not only on the sacrum, but also in the middle of the back. In winter the animal molts and puts on a white fur coat.

Vinogradov’s lemmings have an elongated skull and an expanded occipital region

Key Features

Despite the fact that lemmings live alone, in areas of rivers they have a habit of accumulating in quite numerous flocks.

They are excellent swimmers and can easily overcome very wide water barriers.

However, during such crossings from attacks by water and land predators kill a large number of individuals.

This small animal has a huge amount of natural enemies. For many animals, such as ferrets, mongooses, raccoons, pallas, arctic foxes, and even giant Scolopendra is a food source.

Interesting! Arctic foxes and polar owls are very dependent on the number of lemmings. In case of active breeding of these rodents, predators do not always leave their homes. And the intensity of breeding polar owls depends on the number of lemmings, and if there are few of them, then the predator simply does not will lay eggs!

The more cubs a female lemming brings into the world, the more damage will be done to the surrounding vegetation.

For this reason, nature has made limitations in the process of their breeding – an animal can produce offspring once per some years.

Lemmings are able to very strongly eat up the surrounding vegetation

Representatives of some species in winter are bored in their burrows, and if the cold season does not please with an abundance of snow, then the males begin scrambling around in search of food.

Female with a brood despite everything, on the contrary, adhere to hatched territory.

Often there are fluctuations in the number of lemmings.

But contrary to popular belief about suicidal tendencies, this due to their ability to intensive reproduction, on which, in weather and availability will always influence a constant source of food.

Interesting! In the XIX century, scientists were a sudden decrease in the number of these animals was observed, due to which spread the opinion that they are prone to mass self-destruction. This myth was even published by Arthur M. in the children’s encyclopedia. It was believed that animals during a rapid increase in their numbers strayed into huge flocks and followed the “leader” to the reservoir, where they died. However it is the opinion is erroneous, as lemmings prefer a secluded image life and herdness is unusual for them, not to mention the fact that they are not will follow one “conductor”!

Where lemmings live, food should always be abundant, but in the absence of a sufficient amount of it, the animals begin to eat poisonous plants.

Sometimes even attacks carried out on animals can be noted, which are superior to these rodents in size.

In search of suitable vegetation, the animal will move over fairly large areas.

Food

The main source of food for lemmings is vegetation. The animal consumes:

• sedge;
• moss;
• Shrubs
• foliage and young shoots of birch and willow
• reindeer moss.

Sometimes these rodents can also eat berries, such as cloudberries, blueberries and blueberries. But this is only in the warm season.

With the onset of cold weather, they burrow under the snow and eat the roots.

If the year was fruitful, then lemmings will be actively multiply. Representatives of some species even stockpile in the winter.

In hungry seasons, the animal leaves the inhabited territories and rushes to search for places rich in vegetation. Moreover they also travel alone.

Throughout the day, the animal eats vegetation, making at the same time short breaks

Breeding

The female can bring the first offspring at the age of two or three months. A litter usually has 5 to 6 cubs. Kids look like little hamsters.

These animals are able to breed in almost any conditions – both in the warmer months and under cover of snow. This rodent lives not for long – no more than two years.

The frequency of the appearance of babies is about 6 months

Males reach puberty along with females – about the second month of his life.

Young “mothers” will always take care of their cubs, even if food supplies are exhausted. The role of vegetation search assigned to males.

Content and breeding

Since lemming looks pretty cute, many wish get him as a pet.

But this is very dangerous for the animal itself, due to the fact that it, unlike, for example, squirrel degu, is very whimsical to the climate. Wet paradise for him swampy areas.

These rodents are quite mobile, their energy is inexhaustible, and they able to run throughout the day.

Of course, a person can put in a jar or a tight cage any animal, but for lemmings such conditions will be acceptable only subject to special conditions.

He needs room for maneuvers; he needs grassy litter, in which he will dig his holes and equip nest

In an inappropriate climate zone, lemmings will not survive. He cannot overheat, and therefore a warm climate will become for him fatal.

This animal’s cage is best placed outdoors, but it must certainly be insulated.

A sufficient amount of moss and branches must be put in the cage and you. Grassy rags that should also be sent to Lemming’s house will play the role of a nest.

In such a litter he will be able to dig tunnels, because he does it where it lives.

In addition, the nature of lemmings should be taken into account.

It looks like the most ordinary and familiar to many hamsters, however, this rodent is far from being so friendly.

Lemming is brave and able to pounce and bite without hesitation, he is quite violent, and therefore it is very difficult to tame it.

Lemming: Wild Hermit Rodent

Lemming is dressed in a motley coat, and she perfectly hides him from prying eyes. This animal always travels alone and lives in a hole.