stubbornly holds itself the fairy-tale, that Lemminge would become, with too strong increase to hundred-thousand unites to the sea in order to plunge voluntarily into the floods there hurries and, to put an end to its overcrowding through "mass-suicide" so.
Hikes Maintain is, that some Lemmingarten are inclined to intermittently recurrent mass-increases. The fast increase leads to food-shortage and to stress. With high population-density, the touchy and intolerable animals constantly fight. These circumstances finally cause the formation of traveling-trains: A bulk of the animals migrates in order to look for new habitat.
Particularly the hikes of the Berglemmings (Lemmus lemmus) frequently are examined and been observed. The animals usually hike with night, only at mass-trains also on the day. In 24 hours, a Lemmingzug can manage a route of 15 km. Also during the hike, the animals continue its disputes, the restless Nager now are especially aggressive. Only if bigger obstacles face the train into the way, like Z. B. the tearing floods of a river, every dispute is forgotten.
After short pausing, the animals actually plunge into the water with "Todesmut." Even if many are killed on that occasion, the largest part crosses the water and continues its way. Lemminge swim very well and persevering. In its dense fur, much air lasts so that they are carried like by a swim vest as it were with the rowing of its small little feet. After meets -, sometimes for weeks-long hike, the animals are however exhausted. If it comes along that many of them die exactly when crossing from waters. Since the Lemminge in the northern fjords cut into the country deep frequently follow the course of the valleys in direction coast, they rarely don't reach also at the sea.
Still possessed from the traveling-instinct, the weakened animals plunge into the saltwater. Here however they are doomed to the death if they reach on an island not exactly: Without a saving opposite shore in outlook, they swim until the exhaustion and finally become a victim of the waves and the easy prey of robbery-fishings and seagulls.
However by far not all Lemminge drowns in the water. Already on the way, illness and exhaustion as well as through carnivores cause high losses; many traveling-trains run themselves simply dead.
Whole parts of the traveling-flock remain also in the again immigrated areas. they establish new populations, while that pulls on others.
Habitat Lemminge are the by far most frequent small-mammals of these regions as character-animals of the north. they populate all northern landscape-types: extended Tundrenebenen, stony plateaus and swampy mountain-tundras.
Shape The shape of this mouse - until schermausgroßen Wühler is short, penetrated and rounded off. No body-part juts out and would be cold-endangered consequently. The extraordinarily dense fur, in which eyes, ears and the tail hardly are to be amounted, protects against the deep temperatures. The feet carry Scharrkrallen, with which digging the animals excellently understands.
Way of life, food In the summer, the Lemminge build themselves lying walk-systems far extended at the surface. Sometimes, the grass-upholstered nest is placed against protected place also over the earth. Lemminge don't hold any hibernation. The whole winter over romps about the animals in walks for itself under the snow. In these snow-tunnels, they can look undisturbed for food and can eat, while the icy winter-storms rant over the snow-blanket. In this season, the food consists almost exclusively of mosses, lichens and grass. In the short summer-period, berries, fungi, herbs and fresh shoots still come on the menu.
Reproduction Lemminge, which frequently lead also to the known mass-increases, are very fertile. From type to type differently, 2-5 throws usually come to the world on average with 4-5 boys in the year. The Tragzeit lasts only shortly with approximately 21 days, and the newborn females are again reproductive-ripe already after short time itself. The combination-time begins with the spring and finishes in the autumn. The Halsbandlemming multiplies also in the winter.
Ecological meaning The meaning of the Lemminge for the ecosystem of its inhospitable home is enormous. they are the most important bandage-limb in the foodchain between the plants and the predatorily living northern mammals and birds. Above all in the winter, these Nager turn into the main-food-source for polar-foxes, wolverines, gripping-birds and Schneeulen. Also reindeers eat Lemminge beside its meager lichens and herbal-food.
Types In Scandinavia, the mountain or Fjellemming (Lemmus lemmus), that is drawn the most colorfully, lives unterseits yellow, oberseits yellow, brown and black. The Oblemming (Lemmus sibiricus) lives in the northern Asia. it has an uniformly brown back with black eel-line. Similarly simply colored, however without eel-line, the brown Lemming (Lemmus trimucronatus) is from North America's north.
Representatives of other types are called the needle-forests in the northern Scandinavia Lemminge, according to the Waldlemming (Myopus schisticolor), lived in beside it as well, and the Halsbandlemming (Dicrostonyx torquatus), that is spread zirkumpolar. In adaptation to its habitat, this Lemming changes the fur-color in the winter and virtually becomes pure-know.
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