Lemmings are small animals that resemble hamsters and voles in appearance and lifestyle. The second name of lemmings is polar pestles. From a zoological point of view, this animal belongs to the order of rodents and the subfamily of voles. Lemmings are the eternal inhabitants of the tundra and forest-tundra. In this article, you will learn how lemmings in the tundra look and eat. Not surprisingly, in such harsh conditions of life, these animals feel quite comfortable. This is because from time to time they make barbarian invasions of foreign lands. First things first.
What do lemmings look like?
Before telling exactly where the lemmings live and what they eat on the tundra, it would be advisable to learn about the features of their appearance. These are small animals of a mouse-like type. The length of their body does not exceed 15 cm, 2 cm of which is the tail. The mass of the animal is 20-70 g. The fur of these creatures is long and thick, has a yellow-brown color with dark spots. The paws of the animal and its tail are painted pure yellow, and the abdomen is sand. A distinctive feature of lemmings are two stripes of yellow color, located on the muzzle and extending from the eyes. In winter, the fur of the animal brightens (whitens), and the claws on the front legs grow even stronger.
Lemmings. Where do they live?
What these creatures eat is we will find out a little later, now it is worth considering the question of where they live. Lemmings are common in the tundra and forest-tundra (partially) of North America and Eurasia. Several species of these creatures have survived on the islands of the Arctic Ocean. Favorite places for studying lemmings by zoologists are northern swamps, for example, Scandinavia.
On the territory of the Russian Federation there are 6 species of lemmings. They are common from the Kola Peninsula to Chukotka and the Far East. These include the following lemmings:
- forest;
- Norwegian;
- Siberian;
- ungulates;
- Amur;
- Vinogradov lemming.
What do lemmings in the tundra eat?
As mentioned above, lemmings are rodents. Since these creatures live in the tundra, the stunted northern plants, for example, the so-called deer moss, various rhizomes, and dwarf birch catkins, also serve as food for them. They do not make winter stocks. Animals can arrange their nests right on the ground under the snow, spending them all winter. At this time, they feed on the basal parts of various tundra plants. They do not get used to often starve in the winter.
Lemmings. Lifestyle
Lemmings and tundra cannot exist without each other, however, some species of these creatures are still not chained to their "northern home", and from time to time they make seasonal migrations. They go to the so-called "summer pastures" - in regions with a sparing climate. There, animals feed on mosses, sedge, shrubs, etc. By the way, they are active all year round. After a long trip, lemmings in one day can eat twice as much as they weigh! In the "summer pastures" these animals are ready to eat for the whole day, taking only brief breaks.
Zoologists who have observed how lemmings live and eat on the tundra note one interesting feature: every 15-20 years, these brave men leave their northern regions in huge numbers, going on long journeys. It is curious that neither mountains nor rivers stop this living wave of lemmings. Cases were noted when the animals massively crammed into fishing boats, which under their weight could not stand and went to the bottom.
Such invasions cause huge damage to agriculture, because little wanderers have a truly brutal appetite, devouring everything in their path! Fortunately, the cold climate and the presence of certain enemies at times reduce the number of these rodents. At this time, one can observe the mass death of lemmings: the land is dotted with their corpses for many thousands of kilometers.
