Berglemming
| Berglemming | ||||||||||||
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Berglemming ( Lemmus lemmus ) |
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Lemmus lemmus | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The mountain lemming ( Lemmus lemmus ) is a species of the real lemmings ( Lemmus ) that lives in subarctic and arctic areas of Scandinavia and the Kola Peninsula .
features
The length of the head body is 10 to 13 cm, plus a tail that is only 2 cm long. The weight ranges from 40 to 110 grams. Mountain lemings are patterned in different earth colors. They make noises that sound like bright squeaks, chuckles or growls, with young animals having a slightly lighter voice than adults.
Way of life
Mountain lemings are active day and night. They don't hibernate. In summer they create burrows that are up to 30 cm deep. These connect the surface with a nest chamber, which has a diameter of about 15 cm and is padded with grass and hair. Occasionally there are also other chambers, for example for the droppings. In winter, instead, cavities are created under the snow ( subnival space ) or spherical nests consisting of plant parts are created on the snow.
The main food is moss , blueberries and cranberries , as well as tree bark , but also roots and shoots. The arctic fox and the snowy owl are predators .
Reproduction
The mating season is in the short summer. After a gestation period of about twenty days, the female gives birth to three to seven young. There can be several litters per year. Some females are pregnant as early as fourteen days. One couple was seen producing eight litters in 167 days. However, the rule is up to three throws.
Mass migrations
Mountain lemings experience strong population fluctuations. Every two to five years a population size is reached that is so large that numerous lemmings leave an area in search of new habitats. This can lead to mass migrations, with thousands of mountain lemings traveling together, crossing rivers and covering up to 100 km. However, such mass migrations are extremely rare; they seem to occur every 30 to 35 years in Lapland , but not at all further south. While the veracity of reports of mass migrations has often been questioned, in 1993 Henttonen and Kaikusalo believed the sources reporting such occurrences to be credible. Since many lemmings perish on these hikes, the theory of “mass suicide” arose, but according to the current state of knowledge, it is incorrect.
photos
Adult mountain lemming
Startled mountain lemming
Berglemming in the defensive position
Stuffed mountain leming
Skull of a mountain leming
literature
- Ronald M. Nowak: Walker's Mammals of the World. 2 volumes. 6th edition. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD et al. 1999, ISBN 0-8018-5789-9 .
- Heikki Henttonen, Asko Kaikusalo: Lemming movements. In: Nils Chr. Stenseth, Rolf Anker Ims: The biology of lemmings. Partly arising from Papers presented at a meeting at the Konnevesi Research Station, Finland (= Linnean Society Symposium Series. Vol. 15). Academic Pres, London et al. 1993, ISBN 0-12-666020-4 , pp. 157-186.
Web links
- Lemmus lemmus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2006. Posted by: Amori, 1996. Retrieved on 12 May, 2006.