APPEARANCE
Lemmings look like fat furry hamsters.
They have strong legs and claws for digging.
Thick fur helps to keep them warm.
There are collared lemmings and brown lemmings.
Collared lemmings' coats turn from brown to white for the winter.
HOMES
Lemmings live in the treeless areas of Northern Canada.
In the winter lemmings live in burrows in the snow.
They make many snow tunnels.
They are safe from the cold and wind.
Their underground burrows have rest areas, bathrooms and nesting rooms.
Lemmings make nests out of grasses, feathers and musk ox wool.
FOOD
Lemmings eat plants, roots, berries and lichens.
They gather seeds to eat in the wintertime.
ENEMIES
Lemmings are eaten by many animals. The ermine (weasel), Arctic fox ,
Snowy Owl, wolf and wolverine are just some of their enemies.
Arctic foxes can sniff out lemmings in their burrows under
the snow.
Ermine (weasels) can fit down the lemmings' burrows.
They chase the lemmings into their burrows and kill them by biting their necks.
When there are fewer lemmings, there are fewer predators
(animals that hunt lemmings for food).
PROTECTION
Lemmings run quickly and hide in their tunnels under the snow or
underground.
THE YOUNG
Females give birth to up to eight babies every five weeks.
The high number of lemmings helps to provide food for many animals.
ADAPTATIONS
When there are too many lemmings in one area and not enough to eat,
they migrate to find food. Many drown by running
into the rivers and lakes.
IMPORTANT FACTS
The number of young that a Snowy Owl has depends on whether
there are alot of lemmings or not.
Every three or four years
the number of lemmings decreases. If there are too many lemmings
there would not be enough food for all of them. Then many lemmings
would starve. The predators would also starve.
