Lemmings are tiny creatures from the hamster family and the subfamily voles, which are represented by several closely related genera and species. Rodents prefer to live in tundra and forest-tundra zones, where they are an irreplaceable part of the local fauna. With a sharp reduction in the population of these animals, a mass extinction of many small predators will begin, including the polar owl, arctic fox and ermine. Therefore, even such small animals can play a very important role for tundra nature.

Externally Lemmings are very similar to the hamsters we know. and voles, but the closest relative of these creatures is the steppe pied. Because of this, they are often called polar pieds.

Description and characteristics of the animal

Almost all animals They have a fairly well-fed and dense physique. And it doesn’t matter what subspecies they belong to or what area they live in. An adult grows to 10-15 centimeters in length and gains from 20 to 70 grams of mass. The animals are distinguished by their short legs, and in some they are presented in the form of peculiar hoof plasters. Rodents have a short tail with a length of no more than 2 centimeters. Lemmings have a slightly elongated head and a blunt muzzle. Small beady eyes look beautiful against the background of tiny ears hidden under a thick layer of fur.

Concerning hairline, it is represented by thick and dense hair of medium length. Due to this feature, rodents can easily tolerate extreme temperatures in the form of -35 degrees below zero. In addition, some individuals have dense fur on their paws - a kind of “warm sole”. Lemmings can be colored in a plain, grayish-brown or variegated color. As a camouflage, the fur becomes very light or completely white.

Gallery: forest lemming (25 photos)

Lifestyle of the wood lemming, where the lemming lives

The animal prefers tundra and forest-tundra, found in the northern regions of Europe, Asia and North America. A significant part of the population located on the islands of the Arctic Ocean.

The animals are accustomed to leading a solitary lifestyle, and small groups form only in winter, when they need to heat a common nest using body temperature. Some make deep holes in soft ground, others live in shelters between rocks, under snags of trees and bushes. Some individuals live right in the snow, but they do not hibernate, remaining active throughout the whole year.

As temperatures rise in spring and summer, individual representatives of the species begin to migrate to areas with a rich food supply. Females and offspring do not leave their native place both in summer and in snowless winter. In turn, males are constantly on the move, moving across a wide area in search of food. At the disposal of females maybe 2 square kilometers of their own territory, although unlike other animals, these animals do not show any aggression when entering their area.

Many rodents remain active both at night and at daytime, but the life cycle looks like this;

• the activity phase takes 3 hours;
• The animals spend 1.2 hours out of these three hours eating;

What can a forest lemming eat?

The composition of a lemming's diet is determined by its species and the characteristics of the area where it lives. Eg, a significant part of the population prefers:

• moss;
• lichens;
• sedge;
• cereal crops;
• leaves;
• bark of deciduous trees.

Some individuals eat mushrooms, berries and small insects. Animals are able to store large supplies of food in special burrows - the so-called natural refrigerators. IN winter time animals can eat the root parts of plants covered with snow.

A rodent eats a lot of food per day. For example, its weight is twice the weight of the animal. As a result, in a year he can eat about 50 kilograms of a wide variety of plant foods. It is very easy to notice traces of lemming activity. In their habitat there will be significantly thinned ground cover plants, lichens and mosses are present. But the areas where the animals live are quickly overgrown with new food, so they simply do not have time to provide themselves with a hungry existence, because... nature quickly puts everything in its place.

Lemming breeding process

Forest lemmings are among the most prolific small rodents, because... many species can reproduce throughout the year.

Interesting feature life cycle rodents is the fact that after fertilization the male leaves the female and does not create a family with her. The gestation period lasts about three weeks. The female gives birth to cubs in a warm nest, covered with thick moss or dry grass. At one time, she can give birth to from two to nine tiny creatures. The weight of a newborn baby is 1.9-2.3 grams. Blind, sedentary animals grow quickly and become independent. The last life stage occurs at three weeks of age. When they are 11-12 days old, they begin to see clearly, and soon begin to make their first forays out of the hole.

A fertile female can produce two to five litters per year, and the mating process often begins 3-4 days after giving birth.

A young male is considered sexually mature when he reaches two months of age, while in a female this period begins already at 3 weeks of age. Lemmings live no more than 1-2 years.

Main varieties of lemmings

In nature, there are 4 genera of lemmings, which are represented by several species. Seven of them live in the territory Russian Federation. Of the known species:

1. forest lemming;
2. Siberian lemming;
3. Norwegian lemming;
4. hoofed lemming;
5. Amur lemming.

Forest Lemming

Forest lemmings found on the territory of Norway and in the taiga part of Russia to the lower reaches of the Kolyma River. They prefer thick forest areas coniferous, deciduous or mixed. The fact is that there is a real abundance of food supply, namely moss - their main food. Externally, forest lemmings strongly resemble forest voles, but the former are much smaller in size. An adult has an 8-13 centimeter body weighing 20-38 grams. The length of the tail rarely exceeds 2 centimeters.

Representatives of the forest lemming differ from other species in the color of their hair. They have it grayish or black, with pronounced reddish-brown spots on the back. The body of some specimens is covered with a long spot that covers a significant part of the back and back of the head. The coat stands out brightly metallic luster with light shades.

In the diet of the forest lemming, the main place is occupied by moss with its many varieties (green, sphagnum, liver). As mentioned above, the location of a lemming can be determined by its characteristic bald spots in the form of completely eaten away areas. The food supply of tiny rodents may include lichens and horsetails. They will not eat grass and leaves.

Forest population size lemmings are noticeably declining. And although from time to time the animals experience incredible bursts of fertility, over time they fade away.

Animals can carry tularemia and tick-borne encephalitis.

Siberian lemming

It is considered the most common rodent living in the tundra part of Eurasia, namely in the north and north-west of the Russian Federation and some islands of the Arctic Ocean. Length of an adult rodent rarely exceeds 12-18 centimeters with a weight of 45 to 130 grams. The weight and height of males exceed those of females. The animals are distinguished by their reddish-yellow color with peculiar gray and brown inclusions.

A black stripe runs down the back from the tip of the nose to the tail. Rodents have dense sides and cheeks with a reddish-brown color. Some individuals have dark stripes around the eyes and near the ears.

A significant part of the population with black spots on the reeds, found on the New Siberian Islands and Wrangel Islands.

In winter, the fur of Siberian lemmings becomes light and dull in color. It is often pure white, which provides the animals with excellent camouflage properties.

Siberian lemmings spend a significant part of their lives under the snow, in specially equipped nests. They do not migrate and always remain in one area. During spring floods rodents move to thawed areas, and in the summer they dig long burrows on hills or use natural shelters, where they can feed on plant food.

The rodent family contains many different types, included in this big list and a small animal whose name is lemming. Where this cute creature lives, what it eats, how it reproduces, you can learn about all this from this article. Small rodents resemble appearance and the lifestyle of voles and hamsters. The animal's body is wrapped in motley fur, which is why it received its second name - polar moth.

Lemming: description

Before we talk about the lifestyle of an animal called a lemming, where the animal lives and what it eats, let’s look at what a motley rodent looks like. In total, about 20 species of these furry creatures are known on Earth. They are all very similar to each other, if you do not take into account minor species differences.

The body of the pestle is small, but dense, its length is about 15 cm. The tail is small (2 cm), the paws are short, the ears are almost invisible, they are hidden in the fur. The fur is yellow-brown in color, much darker on the back and can be variegated or gray-brown.

I would like to note that, unlike other species, in winter the claws on the forelimbs grow strongly. Thanks to such “hooves” the animal obtains its food by shoveling snow.

Where does the lemming live (range)

This fluffy little thing can take root anywhere there is vegetation. So to questions about where the lemming lives, in what zone it lives in wildlife, you can answer in one word - everywhere. Although there are, of course, places where this hardy and unpretentious rodent cannot live. All varieties of lemmings are adapted to harsh polar conditions.

Its permanent habitat is in the tundra of Eurasia and North America. The cute rodent also graced the islands of the Arctic Ocean with its presence. Places where the pied lemming lives in the coastal Arctic from White Sea to Beringov. This animal is considered an indigenous inhabitant of Novaya Zemlya, Severnaya Zemlya and Now you know where the lemming lives.

Lifestyle

Polar moths have an impact on creating a unique microrelief. Why this happens can be found out by considering the question of where the lemming lives, where and how it arranges its home.

These rodents live in burrows that they dig themselves. The place of residence of lemmings is like a dungeon with many winding passages, because of this, in areas where there are many such animals, the soil topography changes. These fluffies build their nests in burrows. IN warm time years underground, and in winter frosts - simply under snow cover.

When the weather is warm and the sun is shining, parrots can often be seen running between hummocks or sitting near their burrows. The spectacle is very comical! The animal looks funny sitting on its plump backside, while the lemming quickly waves its front legs and squeals shrilly, trying to scare off possible enemies with such actions.

In search of food, parrots often travel great distances, moving alone. If you observe such migration from the outside, it seems that a whole flock is moving. This is because there are too many rodents moving in one direction. When traveling, lemmings are able to swim across bodies of water; they are excellent swimmers. They also cross any populated areas they encounter along the way without fear. Although on the road a lot of animals die for various reasons.

The average polar pied is two years old.

What do lemmings eat?

The furry animal's diet depends on where the lemming lives. The basis of the food is, or rather, its soft parts. Favorite treats are cotton grass and sedge. In addition, lemmings happily eat young shoots and leaves of willow and birch, moss, blueberries, cloudberries and other berries.

Pestlets require a lot of food, despite their small size. Over the course of a day, a lemming eats an amount of food that is twice its own weight. If you calculate for a whole year, you get about 50 kg of food.

Reproduction

The male lemming is by no means a homebody; he never lives in a nest and constantly wanders in search of food. The female is more economical; at the age of two months she is already able to mate, bringing 6 litters per year, each of which contains 5-6 babies.

The cubs are born helpless and blind; their eyes open after 10-13 days. After 12-15 days, the cute little ones get out of the nest and live completely independently.

Lemmings give birth even in winter, arranging grass nests with a large number of passages under the snow. This rapid replenishment of the ranks of pestles causes damage flora. Nature, having provided for this feature of rodents, limited particularly rapid reproduction to one time for several years.

Slightly smaller than a rat, with a short tail. They are otherwise called northern pieds, as they have a variegated coat color - yellowish-brown with dark and light spots. Several species of lemmings are known. The Norwegian, Siberian (or Ob) and hoofed lemmings are widely represented in Russia; the latter inhabits the mountain tundra. The hoofed lemming turns white in winter, and the claws of its front paws grow greatly, merging at their bases and forming something like sharp hooves. Lemmings use them to tear through the snow in search of food and when making winter nests.

Lemmings have colonized the tundra everywhere. The paths trodden by them furrow the surface of the earth in literally all directions and lead to where there is any vegetation: thickets of dwarf willows and birches, bushes of flowering herbs, moss cushions and mats of lichens. Eating various parts plants, lemmings follow a certain regime, strictly alternating food intake with sleep: they feed for an hour, sleep for 2 hours, feed again for an hour and sleep again for 2 hours. And so all day long.

Lemmings are quite vicious animals that do not tolerate the presence of their own kind. They make shallow burrows at some distance from other burrows and often get into fights with their neighbors. When meeting a person or animal, they behave aggressively: they jump in their direction, rise on their hind legs, grab an outstretched stick with their teeth, whistle and squeal shrilly. However, this behavior does not save them from the numerous predatory inhabitants of the tundra, for which lemmings are one of the main food items.

In winter, lemmings make tunnels under the snow, looking for shoots, fruits and seeds of evergreen plants. Under dense snow cover, they not only have food, but also reliable protection from blizzards and frosts, so they do not hibernate and can even reproduce.

Usually during the year, females bring 5-6 cubs in each litter twice, but when favorable conditions occur weather conditions and the availability of food, their fertility increases sharply (females give birth to 8-10 sucklings three times a year) and therefore the total number of animals increases enormously. In such years, the entire tundra is teeming with lemmings, their minks can be found at every step. As a result, vegetation begins to quickly disappear, eaten by many animals, famine sets in, epizootics appear among animals weakened from malnutrition, and there is not enough space for new generations to settle. Many animals fall prey to various predators (snowy owls, skuas, gulls, arctic foxes, etc.), which take advantage of the increased opportunity to profit from numerous prey. Finally, the moment comes when a mass migration of lemmings occurs (emigration). Mainly the young ones, together with some of the older ones, leave their native places and rush uncontrollably in some direction. At first they walk alone at some distance from each other, and then, when they reach some obstacle (river, lake, cliff), they form clusters. The resulting avalanche of living bodies continues to move in the same direction, overcoming all obstacles on the way: the animals move through populated areas, streams and rivers, rocky outcrops, etc. Having reached the seashore, lemmings rush into the water and swim until will not drown away from land. The corpses of rodents killed in the water are eaten by seagulls, predatory fish, and octopuses. On land, moving lemmings are hunted by arctic foxes, foxes, owls, buzzards and even sled dogs, and are sometimes eaten by reindeer. As a result, the number of these animals is greatly reduced, and the next year they become rare. Subsequently, the number of lemmings reaches its normal level, which then remains until a new outbreak of mass reproduction.

Thus, in the life of lemmings, a natural regulation of their numbers periodically occurs in accordance with the specific opportunities to feed the entire population of these rodents.

The life of a lemming - a small furry animal that inhabits the tundra - has been shrouded in mystical legends and secrets for centuries, but let's look at lemmings from a scientific angle. With a body length of about fifteen centimeters, the lemming’s tail does not reach three centimeters in length. The animal's tiny ears, tail and paws are thickly covered with fur, including the lemming's feet. As for the claws on the front paws, they are longer than the fingers, and the first claw is slightly forked.

Lemmings chose mountain tundras, Arctic islands and forest-tundras as their habitats. By the way, the lemming’s dense fur allows it to feel very comfortable in northern settlements and the taiga, although the number of animals in these areas is limited. Swampy and wet places are a true paradise for their life!

If we talk about the population lemmings, then it is constantly changing. For example, every three to five years the number of these animals increases sharply, they show aggressiveness and are absolutely not afraid of people. In other years, on the contrary, it is rare to see lemmings and the thought of their extinction involuntarily arises, although this is far from the case.

pay attention to interesting fact: The so-called “lemming years” almost always indicate an increase in the population of bank voles in the forests and ungulate lemmings. Approximately once every thirty to forty years, real outbreaks of growth in the population of animals occur, which often leads to their mass migrations in search of food.

Not only do they flood mountain valleys, but they also try to cross bays and rivers, which is why they die in large quantities. If you think that the high population of lemmings is directly related to their “colonial” life, then you are in vain.

In fact, lemmings can be called selfish people who only care about themselves. As a rule, the behavior of these rodents towards each other is often aggressive, and their famous mass migrations are an optical illusion, since each animal moves alone. The only exception is external obstacles, which encourage lemmings to unite and work together to overcome the obstacle that has arisen.

One thing that definitely doesn't require energy drinks is lemmings. One can only envy the activity of these rodents, because they are full of energy around the clock! As a rule, the main “diet” of a lemming consists of pasture - the bark of shrubs, moss, mushrooms, moss, cereals, sedges and other herbaceous plants. Lemmings also do not disdain berries, insects and discarded deer antlers, which completely gnaw.

Heavy snow in recent winter months often forces lemmings to come to the surface and actively search for food. On the one hand, such a small animal is unlikely to cause fear in humans, but some people are still wary of lemmings. The panic was caused by a number of rumors, according to which hungry lemmings practically destroyed the town of N, and the grass never grew on the road they trampled.

Many peoples consider the lemming a mystical animal, because in winter its claws take the form of hooves and its fur turns white. In other words, during the full moon, lemmings become were-rams and drink wolf blood.

Superstitious people are sure: a howling lemming on the top of a date palm on a new moon “howls” about great grief. “Lemming suicides” cause a lot of speculation among people. Note that the topic of mass lemming suicides was even touched upon in a children's book, where a young lemming tried to find the answer to main question: Why do lemmings always throw themselves off cliffs?

Sometimes mass suicides Lemmings are associated with their sacrifice to the inhabitants of other worlds. Scientists explain such “suicides” of rodents as follows: during mass migrations, when lemmings actively reproduce and migrate in search of food, they often run into the sea, river or other water barrier, but can no longer stop and die. By the way, not all lemmings die, but only the “pioneers.” As for reproduction, a female can bring up to thirty cubs per year, but the lemming’s life is short - it lasts only one or two years.

15.12.2017

What do lemmings eat? The answer to this question lies in understanding where these cute animals live and what they are.