- Lemmings, any of 20 species of small rodents which are found only in the Northern Hemisphere
- They have short, stocky bodies with short legs and stumpy tails.
- Fur colour; grey, sandy yellow, various tints and tones of brown, or slate grey and black.
- Lemmings measure around 13 – 18 centimetres (5 – 7 inches) in length and weigh around 23 – 34 grams (0.05 – 0.07 pounds)
- Lemmings feed on almost any sort of vegetation, including roots, buds, leaves, twigs, bark, seeds, grasses, sedges, and mosses.
- Like other rodents, their incisors are continuously growing which means they are able to munch upon tough food.
- Lemmings do not hibernate through the harsh northern winter. They remain active, finding food by burrowing through the snow
- Their underground burrows have rest areas, bathrooms and nesting rooms. Lemmings make nests out of grasses, feathers and musk ox wool
- Lemmings have large population booms every three or four years. When the concentration of lemmings becomes too high in one area, a large group will set out in search of a new home.
- Lemmings have become the subject of a widely popular misconception that they commit mass suicide when they migrate by jumping off cliffs
- They are solitary and generally intolerant of one another
- The life span of a lemming is less than 2 years.
