Northern collared lemming facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Northern collared lemming |
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| Conservation status | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Dicrostonyx
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| Species: |
groenlandicus
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| Northern collared lemming range | |
| Synonyms | |
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kilangmiutak Anderson & Rand, 1945 |
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The northern collared lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus) is a small lemming that lives in North America. It is sometimes called the Nearctic collared lemming. In Canada, people might also call it the Peary Land collared lemming.
Long ago, some scientists thought this lemming was a type of Arctic lemming. Today, some believe that other kinds of collared lemmings in North America are actually just different versions of D. groenlandicus.
Contents
What Does the Northern Collared Lemming Look Like?
This lemming has a short, chubby body. It is covered in thick grey fur. A thin black stripe runs along its back. Its belly is light grey.
It has small ears, short legs, and a very short tail. You might notice a pale brown collar across its chest. In winter, its fur turns completely white! This is special because it's believed to be the only rodent that changes its fur to white for winter. It also grows large claws on its front feet to help it dig in the snow.
A northern collared lemming is about 14 cm (5.5 inches) long. Its tail is only about 1.5 cm (0.6 inches) long. It weighs around 40 grams (1.4 ounces), which is about the same as a small candy bar.
Where Do Northern Collared Lemmings Live?
You can find these lemmings in the cold, treeless lands called tundra. They live in northern Canada, Alaska in the United States, and Greenland.
What Do Northern Collared Lemmings Eat?
In the summer, northern collared lemmings eat grasses, sedges (plants like grass), and other green plants. When winter comes, they switch their diet. They munch on twigs from willow, aspen, and birch trees.
Who Hunts the Northern Collared Lemming?
Many animals hunt the northern collared lemming. Some of their main hunters are snowy owls, gulls, wolverines, the Arctic fox, and even the mighty polar bear.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Female lemmings can have two or three groups of babies each year. Each group, called a litter, usually has four to eight young lemmings. The baby lemmings are born in a cozy nest. These nests are often hidden in a burrow underground or tucked away in thick plants.
How Do Northern Collared Lemmings Behave?
Northern collared lemmings are busy all year long, day and night. They create paths, like little highways, through the plants on the surface. They also dig burrows into the ground, but they stay above the frozen layer called permafrost. In winter, they dig tunnels under the snow to stay safe and warm.
The number of lemmings in an area changes a lot. Their populations go through a cycle of growing very large and then shrinking. This "boom and bust" cycle usually happens every three or four years. When there are too many lemmings in one place, they spread out to find new homes.
See also
In Spanish: Dicrostonyx groenlandicus para niños
