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Population biology

Case of the absent lemmings

Nature volume 456, pages 43–44 (2008)Cite this article

Changing weather patterns, producing the wrong kind of snow, have transformed the population dynamics of lemmings in northern Scandinavia. The knock-on effects have been felt throughout the ecosystem.

Norway lemmings (Lemmus lemmus) are remarkable animals. These rodents can live for three or four years, spending their winters beneath the snow and feeding mostly on moss. A female can produce up to three litters a year, with as many as 12 young per litter. Lemmings occasionally become super-abundant when large numbers of young survive2. In northern Norway in 1970, lemmings were so common that snowploughs were used to clear the vast numbers of squashed animals from roads. Outbreaks don't last long: food becomes scarce, and lemmings will then often disperse en masse in search of greener pastures. On occasion, desperate to find food, they jump into water and start swimming. This behaviour led to the myth that lemmings commit suicide.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Tim Coulson and Aurelio Malo are in the Department of Life Sciences, Silwood Park Campus, Imperial College London, Ascot, Berkshire SL5 7PY, UK. t.coulson@imperial.ac.uk,

    Tim Coulson & Aurelio Malo

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  1. Tim Coulson
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  2. Aurelio Malo
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Coulson, T., Malo, A. Case of the absent lemmings. Nature 456, 43–44 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/456043a

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