A lemming, (Lemmus lemmus), a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in the tundra region. They do not hibernate through the harsh winter, but remain active, finding food by burrowing through the snow. They reproduce so quickly that their population fluctuations are chaotic, but why lemming populations fluctuate with such great variance roughly every four years, before numbers drop to near extinction, is unknown. Lemmings have become the subject of a widely popular misconception that they are driven to commit mass suicide when they migrate by jumping off cliffs.
A lemming, (Lemmus lemmus), a small rodent, usually found in or near the Arctic in the tundra region. They do not hibernate through the harsh winter, but remain active, finding food by burrowing through the snow. They reproduce so quickly that their population fluctuations are chaotic, but why lemming populations fluctuate with such great variance roughly every four years, before numbers drop to near extinction, is unknown. Lemmings have become the subject of a widely popular misconception that they are driven to commit mass suicide when they migrate by jumping off cliff, but it's not a deliberate mass suicide where the animal voluntarily chooses to die, but rather a result of their migratory behavior.
Size: 5100px × 3104px
Location: Norway
Photo credit: © De Luan / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 19th, animals, antiquarian, antiquity, art, biology, black, breeding, century, cliffs, drawing, engraving, environmental, etching, europe, fluctuations, folk, graphic, heritage, historic, history, icon, iconic, illustration, jumping, lemming, lemmings, lemmus, line, lithograph, mass, migration, misconception, monochrome, multitude, natural, nature, norway, picture, population, rumour, scandinavia, scandinavian, sketch, stampede, study, suicide, symbol, tales, underground, white, wildlife, wives, woodcut, zoology
