Mammals · Rodentia · Cricetidae
Norway Lemming
Lemmus lemmus
Least Concern
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk.
The Norway lemming is a small, plump rodent of the Scandinavian tundra, with a strikingly contrasted coat of black, chestnut and yellow. It stays active through the winter beneath the snow, in tunnels dug in the layer of air between the ground and the snowpack, feeding on mosses and grasses. Its populations fluctuate spectacularly in cycles of three to five years, and those peaks carry the whole ecosystem with them: Arctic foxes, snowy owls and skuas all breed far more successfully in lemming years.
Weight
40 g – 130 g
Size
10 cm – 15 cm
Life expectancy
2 years
