Flora and fauna of the northern latitudes do not shine with diversity. There are not so many animals that have adapted to live in permafrost conditions. Each student will name among the animals the polar polar polar bear, arctic fox, fox. But not everyone knows that the existence of these predators directly depends on a small fluffy inhabitant of the northern latitudes, whose name is ungulate lemming.
Species diversity and natural habitat
Lemmings are one genus from the hamster family. In total, there are about 20 types of lemmings, the species differences of which are not very significant. Representatives of the genus inhabit the arctic zones of Europe and North America. In Russia, they are quite widespread: the floodplain of the Mezen River, the Lena Delta, the Kanin Peninsula, the Chukotka Peninsula, the Vaigach and Novaya Zemlya Islands, the Medvezhye and the Wrangel. In the Russian Arctic zone, Siberian and ungulate lemmings are predominantly common. Siberian is also called brown, and ungulate - collar.
External differences
Lemmings look almost like domestic hamsters. The body is dense, not more than 15 centimeters. The weight of an adult animal rarely exceeds 150 g. The color of the Siberian lemmings is brown or red-yellow; a clear black stripe runs along the back. Color does not change throughout life. In the warm season, ungulate lemmings are painted in colors from ash gray to tan with a black stripe on the back. Around the neck there is an inexpressive light streak that looks like a small collar. In winter, the animal changes color to white, and its claws on the middle fingers of the forelimbs grow and flatten, becoming a spatula or hoof. The tail of the lemmings is short and covered with sparse wool.
Etiology
The animals lead a solitary lifestyle or nest in pairs in minks, winding and multi-pass, which they themselves dig and equip. Around the mink, in their lands, they make many trails. It is interesting that in winter they will follow the same routes under the snow.
Lemmings swim well, but without special need they will not do it. Animals have a good appetite and can eat constantly. It is estimated that lemming can eat food 2 times more than its weight per day. The main diet is scarce northern cereals and small berries, all parts of trees and shrubs, tundra moss and lichens. Lemming will not pass past bird eggs and shells, rare worms. With pleasure it can nibble the dumped deer horns.
Though small, but not such a coward, ungulate lemming! The photo of the animal can be misleading. These cute fluffies are very aggressive in protecting their homes, food or offspring - the animal rises on its hind legs and whistles loudly in a peculiar way.
Main link
Under conditions of frozen ground and scarce food, it is lemming that becomes the main link in the trophic chain of predators of the North. The animal serves as the main prey for such predators as the northern weasel, ermine, arctic fox, fox, wolf and polar owl. Hoofed lemmings ensure their existence and successful survival. For the endangered species of the polar white owl, these rodents make up about 95% of the diet.
Propagation Features
The more the female brings the cubs, the more food is necessary for them. In nature, everything is interconnected: the scarcity of food in northern latitudes imposes restrictions on the systematic nature with which ungulate lemming breeds. The habitat has established reproductive restrictions in the reproduction cycle of offspring - in lean years, fertility ceases.
A female from two months of age can give birth up to six times a year for five to six blind cubs. Two weeks after birth, they already eat normal food for their development and begin to live independently. It is easy to imagine the size of the hoofed lemming population with a life span of up to two years. That is why, during periods of surge in population growth, lemmings migrate from their usual places where there is very little food.
Pets
It is now fashionable to start unusual pets. Lemmings are exotic hamsters. The rules for their maintenance and feeding do not differ from those in relation to hamsters. With good maintenance, lemmings can live up to four years. Contain them in pairs or singly. But keep in mind that with abundant nutrition, the female will give offspring all six times a year. And don't expect the pet to turn white by winter. The change in the color of the coat depends on many factors, but the main thing is the length of daylight and the ambient temperature.
Legends of Mass Suicide
During the years of mass breeding, hundreds of animals leave their lands and rush to new places in search of food. On the part of the observer of the lemmings migration, the sight can cause superstitious horror. A continuous red-brown stream of animals rushes to an obstacle, for example, a river or a cliff, and overcomes it. In this case, thousands of individuals die. During migration, many die in the teeth and claws of predators.
In fact, animals migrate one by one, just before the barrier they accumulate in groups, sometimes very large. In this case, we are not talking about any mass suicide - this is a life-affirming cast! And by the way, only those individuals who run in the forefront, paving the way for everyone else, die.
