Steppe lemming
| Steppe lemming | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
young steppe lemmings (approx. 6 weeks) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name of the genus | ||||||||||||
| Lagurus | ||||||||||||
| Gloger , 1841 | ||||||||||||
| Scientific name of the species | ||||||||||||
| Lagurus lagurus | ||||||||||||
| ( Pallas , 1773) |
The steppe lemming ( Lagurus lagurus ) is a species of voles that is widespread in West and Central Asia . Despite his name he does not belong to the lemmings , but to the kinship of the water voles . The closest relative is likely the very similar North American sage vole ( Lemmiscus curtatus ). The steppe lemming is also kept as a pet .
The fur is gray on top and has a striking eel line . The underside is whitish. The compact, 8 to 12 cm long body, the only 1 cm long tail and the tiny ears hidden in the fur are the reason that this vole is called a "lemming".
The distribution area extends today from eastern Ukraine to eastern Kazakhstan . In Kazakhstan, it is the most common mammal of all: in years with particularly high populations, you can sometimes find 30 to 50 steppe lemmings on one hectare of land. Habitat are steppes and semi-deserts, but when there is high population pressure, fields and pastures are also populated. Steppe lemmings can cause considerable damage in grain fields .
Steppe lemmings were also widespread in western and central Ukraine until around 1900, but were exterminated here. It is known from fossil finds that in the Pleistocene, large numbers of these animals inhabited the European cold steppes westward to the British Isles.
Steppe lemmings create burrows that reach 90 cm below the ground. They lead to a nest chamber that has a diameter of about 10 cm and is padded with plant materials. During the day they hide in these buildings. At night they go in search of food that consists of all kinds of plant parts.
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 .
- Ralf Sistermann: Steppe lemmings and other voles. Biology, husbandry, breeding. Natur und Tier, Münster 2006, ISBN 3-937285-60-1 (2nd edition, ibid 2008, ISBN 978-3-937285-60-3 ).
- Christine Wilde: Lemmings. Eugen Ulmer KG, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2008, ISBN 978-3-8001-5664-1 .
Web links
- Image of a steppe lemming (young animal)
- Lagurus lagurus inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Tsytsulina, K., Formozov, N., Zagorodnyuk, I., Batsaikhan, N. & Sheftel, B, 2008. Retrieved September 21, 2013.
