Real collar lemming
| Real collar lemming | ||||||||||||
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Transition from summer to winter fur in the real collar lemming |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Dicrostonyx torquatus | ||||||||||||
| ( Pallas , 1778) |
The true collar lemming ( Dicrostonyx torquatus ) is a rodent in the subfamily of voles that is found in northern Eurasia .
features
The species reaches a head body length of 8.8 to 14.0 cm, a tail length of 1.1 to 2.1 cm and a weight of 63 to 155 g. As with the Northern Collar Lemming , the summer coat has a gray to gray-brown base color with reddish shades on the top. The reddish hues occur most frequently in the western area of the distribution area. Due to the mixed in black, red and light gray hair, the fur looks speckled. The underside is predominantly light brown to light orange brown. The orange-brown collar that gives it its name is not pronounced on all specimens. A dark eel line is usually more noticeable than in the northern collar lemming. The real collar lemming has a completely white winter coat.
distribution
The distribution area of the real collar lemmings is in the north and east of Russia from the Kanin peninsula to Kamchatka . The species lives on many arctic islands in Russia, but is absent in the northern area of Severnaya Zemlyas , on Franz Josef Land and on Wrangel Island . This collar lemming reaches a height of 1600 meters in the mountains. He lives in the tundra with scattered bushes and dwarfed willows . Other typical plants in the distribution area are clove root ( geum ), grasses, sour grasses , mosses and lichens .
Way of life
As with other collar lemmings, activity is not tied to a specific time of day or season. The real collar lemming digs tunnels in the ground or in the snow with a nest that has a diameter of 11 to 20 centimeters. The upholstery consists of grass, sour grass or moss. Usually the nest is used by a couple.
With the exception of lichens, the typical plants of the distribution area belong to the diet of the species. It continues to eat berries, saxifrages and lice herbs ( Pedicularis ). The true collar lemming usually chooses dicotyledonous plants in summer and autumn, while monocotyledonous plants predominate in winter.
Females have two to three litters a year, with the first litter being born when the snow cover is closed. The gestation period is 17 to 21 days and a litter can consist of up to 12 offspring. The largest litters appear in spring (often 8 offspring), while the litters are a little smaller again in summer. Twice as many females as males are born each year.
status
There are no acute threats to the entire population. It is listed as Least Concern by the IUCN . Climate changes could have negative effects in the future. The population on Novaya Zemlya is classified as Vulnerable .
Individual evidence
- ↑ Don E. Wilson , DeeAnn M. Reeder (Ed.): Mammal Species of the World . A taxonomic and geographic Reference . 3. Edition. 2 volumes. Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore MD 2005, ISBN 0-8018-8221-4 (English, Dicrostonyx torquatus ).
- ↑ a b c d e Wilson, Lacher Jr. & Mittermeier (eds.): Handbook of the Mammals of the World . 7 - Rodents II. Lynx Edicions, 2017, ISBN 978-84-16728-04-6 , pp. 298-299 (English).
- ↑ a b Dicrostonyx torquatus in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2018 Posted by: Tsytsulina, K., Formozov, N. & Sheftel, B., 2016. Retrieved on June 10 of 2019.