Lemming: description, way of life. Where does the lemming live in the wild?

The family of rodents has many different species, is included in this large list and a small animal, whose name is lemming. Where this cute creature lives, how it feeds, how it breeds, you can learn all this from this article. Small rodents resemble the appearance and lifestyle of voles and hamsters. The taurus of the animal is wrapped in variegated fur, due to which it received the second name - the polar motley.

Lemming: description

Before talking about the lifestyle of an animal called lemming, where the animal lives and what it feeds on, consider what a motley rodent looks like. Around 20 species of these fluffy creatures are known on Earth. All of them are very similar to each other, if you do not take into account the minor differences.

The body of the pestle is small, but dense, its length is about 15 cm. The tail is small (2 cm), the paws are short, the ears are almost invisible, they are hidden in the fur. The wool is yellow-brown in color, on the back it is much darker and can be variegated or gray-brown.

I want to note the lemming of the ungulate, unlike other species, in the winter, claws grow strongly on the forelegs. Thanks to such "hoofs" the animal produces food, raking the snow.

Where does the lemming (range) live

This fluffy baby can take root wherever there is vegetation. So the questions about where the lemmings live, in which zone lives in the wild, can be answered in one word - everywhere. Although there are, of course, places where this hardy and unpretentious rodent can not live. All varieties of lemmings are adapted to polar severe conditions.

The zone of its permanent habitation falls on the territory of the tundra of Eurasia and North America. Islands of the Arctic Ocean, the cute rodent also honored with his presence. There are also places where lemming is found on the coastal territory of the Arctic from the White Sea to Bering. This animal is considered the indigenous inhabitant of Novaya Zemlya, Novosibirsk Islands, Northern Earth and Wrangel Islands. Now you know where the lemmings live.

Lifestyle

Polar varieties affect the vegetation of the tundra, creating a kind of microrelief. Why this happens, you can find out by considering the question of where the lemmings live, where and how to arrange their home.

These rodents live in burrows that they dig themselves. The residence of lemmings is similar to a dungeon with a multitude of twisting passages, because of this, in areas where many such animals, the soil relief is changing. In burrows, these fuzzy nestlers settle their nests. In the warm season under the earth, and in winter frosts - just under the snow cover.

When the weather is warm and the sun shines, the pies can often be seen running between bumps or sitting near their mink. The sight is very comical! The animal looks funny, sitting on a fat back, while the lemming quickly waves his forelegs and shrieks, trying to frighten off possible enemies by such actions.

In search of pestle supply, huge distances often pass, moving one by one. If you observe this migration from the outside, it seems that a whole flock is moving. All due to the fact that too many rodents move in one direction. Traveling, lemmings are able to swim ponds, swimmers are excellent. They also cross without fear any settlements that they meet on the way. Although on the road a lot of animals die for various reasons.

The average lifespan of polar mottled flowers is two years.

What do lemmings eat?

The diet of a fluffy animal depends on where the lemmings live. The basis of the feed is herbaceous plants, or rather, their soft parts. Favorite delicacy is cotton grass and sedge. In addition, lemmings with pleasure eat young shoots and leaves of willow and birch, moss, blueberry, cloudberries and other berries.

Nutrition requires a lot of variegated, despite their small size. During the day, lemmings eat up so much food that exceeds their own weight by half. If you count for the whole year, you will get about 50 kg of food.

Reproduction

The male lemmings are by no means a homebody, he never lives in a nest, constantly wanders in search of food. The female is more economic, at the age of two months she is already able to mate, bringing six litters a year, each with 5-6 toddlers.

The cubs are born helpless and blind, eyes open days after 10-13. In 12-15 days, cute babies get out of the nest and live quite independently.

Lemmings bring offspring even in winter, arranging under the snow grassy nests with a lot of moves. Such a swift replenishment of the rows of variegated fruits damages the plant world. Nature, having provided this feature of rodents, limited particularly rapid reproduction at one time for several years.