Mammals
Norway Lemming
Lemmus lemmus · also called Norwegian lemming
Rearing up on its hind legs to hiss at a much larger intruder, a Norway lemming shows the fierce temper of a rodent whose population booms and crashes across the Scandinavian mountains, and whose famous cliff-jumping suicide never actually happens.
Overview
The Norway lemming, Lemmus lemmus, is a Least Concern rodent native to the mountain tundra of Scandinavia and nearby northern Europe. Its boom-and-bust cycles, aggressive temper, and undeserved reputation for mass suicide make it one of the most famous and most misunderstood small mammals.
The myth that would not die
The idea that lemmings leap to their deaths comes from a staged scene in a 1958 film, not from nature, and the real story is a cycle of population booms and dispersals that sometimes end in drowned animals.
Status
Least Concern, widespread across suitable tundra and mountain habitat, with numbers that swing sharply between years.
Norway Lemming: common questions
Do lemmings really commit mass suicide?
No, that is a myth; a 1958 film staged scenes of lemmings jumping off a cliff, and the idea has persisted ever since.
Why do lemming numbers swing so much?
Populations boom and crash every few years, and in peak years many lemmings disperse in search of food, sometimes drowning while crossing water.
How does the Norway lemming survive winter?
It stays active all year, living in tunnels and burrows beneath the snow and feeding on mosses, grasses, and shoots.
Where is the Norway lemming found?
It is native to mountain tundra and moorland habitat of the Scandinavian mountains and nearby parts of northern Europe.