Northern collared lemming

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Northern collared lemming
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Rodentia
Family: Cricetidae
Subfamily: Arvicolinae
Genus: Dicrostonyx
Species:
D. groenlandicus
Binomial name
Dicrostonyx groenlandicus
(Traill, 1823)
Northern collared lemming range (not including the Wrangel lemming)[1]
Synonyms

kilangmiutak Anderson & Rand, 1945
rubricatus (Richardson, 1889) vinogradovi Ognev, 1948

The northern collared lemming or Nearctic collared lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus), sometimes called the Peary Land collared lemming in Canada, is a small lemming found in Arctic North America and Wrangel Island. At one time, it was considered to be a subspecies of the Arctic lemming (Dicrostonyx torquatus). Some sources believe several other species of collared lemmings found in North America are actually subspecies of D. groenlandicus.[2]

Description[edit]

It has a short chunky body covered with thick grey fur with a thin black stripe along its back and light grey underparts. It has small ears, short legs and a very short tail. It has a pale brown collar across its chest. In winter, its fur turns white, and it has large digging claws on its front feet. It is 14 cm (5.5 in) long with a 1.5 cm (0.59 in) tail and weighs about 40 g (1 oz).

Distribution and habitat[edit]

It is found in the tundra of northern Canada, Alaska and Greenland. A disjunct population is also present on Wrangel Island in Siberia; this population was formerly considered its own species, the Wrangel lemming (D. vinogradovi).[3][4][5]

Diet[edit]

It feeds on grasses, sedges and other green vegetation in summer, and twigs of willow, aspen and birches in winter.

Predators[edit]

Predators include snowy owls, gulls, wolverines, the Arctic fox and the polar bear.

Breeding[edit]

Female lemmings have two or three litters of four to eight young in a year. The young are born in a nest in a burrow or concealed in vegetation.

Behaviour[edit]

It is active year-round, day and night. It makes runways through the surface vegetation and also digs burrows above the permafrost. It burrows under the snow in winter. Lemming populations go through a three- or four-year cycle of boom and bust. When their population peaks, lemmings disperse from overcrowded areas.

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Cassola, F. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Dicrostonyx groenlandicus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T42618A115195764. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T42618A22331908.en.
  2. ^ Musser, G.G.; Carleton, M.D. (2005). "Superfamily Muroidea". In Wilson, D.E.; Reeder, D.M (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 971–972. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
  3. ^ Gerrie, R. & Kennerley, R. (2017) [errata version of 2016 assessment]. "Dicrostonyx vinogradovi". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2016: e.T6569A115082805. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2016-3.RLTS.T6569A22331837.en. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  4. ^ "Dicrostonyx groenlandicus (Traill, 1823)". ASM Mammal Diversity Database. American Society of Mammalogists. Retrieved 2021-09-05.
  5. ^ "The Mammals of Russia: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference". ResearchGate. Retrieved 2021-09-05.