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What the sources say

Norway LemmingLemmus lemmus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Norway Lemming profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 45 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

Profile updated

Source
01

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Lemmus lemmus. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysMainly mosses, lichens, bark and some grasses
The source saysThey mainly eat mosses, lichens, bark, and some grasses.Note: stats.diet
The page saysThey mainly eat mosses, lichens, bark and some grasses.
The source saysThey mainly eat mosses, lichens, bark, and some grasses.Note: body diet
The page saysblack and brown fur with some golden-yellow streaks
The source saysFur color is black and brown with some golden-yellow streaks.Note: body
The page saysA Norway lemming weighs between 20 and 130 grams, and its body is 8 to 17.5 centimeters long.
The source saysNorway lemmings weigh between 20 and 130 g. Body length ranges from 8 to 17.5 cm.Note: body weight and length; grams and centimeters as written
The page saysMales and females are generally similar in size.
The source saysthe males and females are generally similar in size and colorNote: body
The page saysThe first claw on each paw is larger and flatter than the rest.
The source saysThe claw of the first digit on each paw is larger and flatter than the rest of the claws.Note: body
The page saysThat change helps lemmings tunnel through snow.
The source saysThis modification helps lemmings to tunnel through snow.Note: body
The page saysIn winter they live in insulated spaces under the snow, which gives them warmth, shelter, access to food and protection from predators.
The source saysDuring the winter they live in insulated spaces under the snow. This provides them with warmth, shelter, access to food, and protection from predators.Note: body
The page saysRed foxes, Arctic foxes, ermines, weasels, snowy owls and ravens are common predators
The source saysCommon predators of Norway lemmings include red foxes , Arctic foxes , ermines , weasels , snowy owls , ravens , and other birds of prey.Note: body; ADW 'common predators', ravens listed under known predators as common ravens
The page saysArctic foxes specialize in hunting lemmings
The source saysArctic foxes specialize in hunting lemmings specifically.Note: body
The page saysA lemming's main defense is its burrow.
The source saysTheir burrows, whether in the ground or under the snow, are a lemming's main defense against predators.Note: body
The page saysWhen numbers peak, lemmings disperse beyond their normal range and may even move into forests.
The source saysDuring these peaks the lemming population will disperse beyond their normal range in search of more space and more food. They may even move into the taiga and forestsNote: body
The page saysThey may turn aggressive toward each other when too many are close together, and males have been observed boxing and wrestling.
The source saysLemmings may become aggressive toward one another when there are too many other lemmings in close proximity, and male Norway lemmings have been observed engaging in boxing and wrestling behavior.Note: body; reordered so the aggression is lemmings in general, as in the source, and boxing is males
The page saysThe Norway lemming's fur is black and brown with some golden-yellow streaks
The source saysFur color is black and brown with some golden-yellow streaks.Note: vibe.reason

Source
02

AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources

AnAge entry for Lemmus lemmus. AnAge: The Animal Ageing and Longevity Database, Build 15, Human Ageing Genomic Resources.

The page saysThe oldest one on record lived at least 3.3 years, and that was in captivity.
The source saysMaximum longevity 3.3 years (captivity) ... One specimen lived at least 3.3 years in captivityNote: body lifespan; AnAge Build 15 (2023), current source; ADW gives 3.3 as the oldest recorded
The page saysThe AnAge database's longevity record is a single captive animal that lived at least 3.3 years, and it rates the sample size as small.
The source saysMaximum longevity 3.3 years (captivity) Source ref. 671 Sample size SmallNote: FAQ 2; 'single animal, at least' from: One specimen lived at least 3.3 years in captivity
The page saysa single captive animal that lived at least 3.3 years
The source saysOne specimen lived at least 3.3 years in captivityNote: FAQ 2
The page saysweightKg: 0.07
The source saysAdult weight 70 gNote: battleStats.weightKg; AnAge average

Source
03

Woodford 2003

Woodford (2003). Lemming Suicide Myth: Disney Film Faked Bogus Behavior. Alaska Fish & Wildlife News, Alaska Department of Fish and Game.

The page sayskin of the lemmings wrongly said to leap to their deaths
The source saysLemmings do not commit mass suicide. It's a mythNote: tagline; lemmings in general, per Alaska Dept of Fish and Game; 'leap' from the film scene the article describes (lemmings leaping into the ocean)
The page saysAccording to a 1983 investigation, the lemmings seen leaping into the ocean in Disney's White Wilderness were thrown off a cliff by the filmmakers.
The source saysAccording to a 1983 investigation by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation producer Brian Vallee, the lemming scenes were faked. The lemmings supposedly committing mass suicide by leaping into the ocean were actually thrown off a cliff by the Disney filmmakers.Note: FAQ 1
The page saysReal lemmings disperse when they have exhausted the local food supply, as moose and beavers do.
The source saysWhen they've exhausted the local food supply, they disperse, as do moose, beaver and many other animals.Note: FAQ 1; 'they' is lemmings, the article's subject
The page saysLemmings do not commit mass suicide, says Alaska's wildlife agency, which calls it a myth.
The source saysLemmings do not commit mass suicide. It's a mythNote: about lemmings in general; the article is by Alaska Department of Fish and Game
The page saysA 1983 investigation reported that the lemming scenes in Disney's 1958 film White Wilderness were faked.
The source saysIn 1958 Walt Disney produced "White Wilderness," part of the studio's "True Life Adventure" series. ... According to a 1983 investigation by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation producer Brian Vallee, the lemming scenes were faked.Note: body
The page saysReal lemmings can swim and will cross water, and sometimes they drown.
The source saysLemmings can swim and will cross bodies of water in their quest for greener pastures. Sometimes they drown.Note: body; lemmings in general
The page sayslemmings stop at a body of water, build up along the shore, and eventually swim across
The source saysThe classic example is in the Scandinavian mountains, where (lemmings) have been dramatically observed. They will come to a body of water and be temporarily stopped, and eventually they'll build up along the shore so dense and they will swim across.Note: body; zoologist Gordon Jarrell
The page saysAn expert on small mammals described the Scandinavian mountains as a classic place where this has been seen
The source sayssaid zoologist Gordon Jarrell, an expert in small mammals with the University of Alaska Fairbanks. ... The classic example is in the Scandinavian mountains, where (lemmings) have been dramatically observed.Note: body

Source
04

Kausrud et al. 2008

Kausrud et al. (2008). Linking climate change to lemming cycles. Nature.

The page saysRodent population cycles in the north have puzzled people for centuries.
The source saysThe population cycles of rodents at northern latitudes have puzzled people for centuriesNote: body
The page saysOne study followed an alpine Norwegian habitat from 1970 to 1997.
The source saysaccount for the observed population dynamics of the rodent community dominated by lemmings (Lemmus lemmus) in an alpine Norwegian core habitat between 1970 and 1997Note: body
The page saysIt found that winter weather and snow conditions, together with density dependence, accounted for the ups and downs of a rodent community dominated by Norway lemmings.
The source sayswinter weather and snow conditions, together with density dependence in the net population growth rate, account for the observed population dynamics of the rodent community dominated by lemmings (Lemmus lemmus) in an alpine Norwegian core habitat between 1970 and 1997Note: body
The page saysIt also predicted the lack of peak years after 1994.
The source saysand predict the observed absence of rodent peak years after 1994Note: body

Source
05

Spitsyn et al. 2021

Spitsyn et al. (2021). A new Norwegian Lemming subspecies from Novaya Zemlya, Arctic Russia. Ecologica Montenegrina.

The page saysA warning-colored mountain rodent
The source saysNorwegian Lemming Lemmus lemmus is a remarkable population cycling species having a number of aposematic traits in coloration and behavior.Note: tagline; 'warning' is the meaning of aposematic
The page saysplus a distinct lineage on Novaya Zemlya in Arctic Russia
The source saysHere, we report on the discovery of a distinct lineage of this species from Novaya Zemlya.Note: stats.habitat; 2021 paper, newer than Lagerholm 2014's Fennoscandia-only range; 'Arctic Russia' from the title
The page saysAposematic (warning) coloration and behavior
The source sayshaving a number of aposematic traits in coloration and behaviorNote: stats.superpower; 'warning' is the meaning of aposematic, not in the quote
The page saysResearchers describe the species as having a number of aposematic traits in coloration and behavior.
The source sayshaving a number of aposematic traits in coloration and behaviorNote: body
The page saysIt was thought to be the only mammal found nowhere but Fennoscandia until 2021
The source saysThis species was thought to be the only mammal endemic to Fennoscandia.Note: body; 'found nowhere but' paraphrases endemic; 2021 is the paper's publication year
The page saysuntil 2021, when researchers described a distinct lineage
The source saysHome / Archives / Vol. 40 (2021) / Articles A new Norwegian Lemming subspecies from Novaya ZemlyaNote: body; publication year of the description
The page saysresearchers described a distinct lineage from Novaya Zemlya in Arctic Russia as a new subspecies
The source saysHere, we report on the discovery of a distinct lineage of this species from Novaya Zemlya. This lineage is described here as the new subspecies Lemmus lemmus chernovi ssp. nov.Note: body; 'Arctic Russia' from the paper's title
The page saysThat island lemming has cryptic coloration, the camouflaging kind, instead.
The source saysmorphologically differs from the nominate subspecies by having a cryptic coloration. Our time-calibrated phylogeny revealed that this insular subspeciesNote: body; 'island' = insular; 'camouflaging' is the meaning of cryptic coloration
The page saysa number of aposematic, or warning, traits in coloration and behavior
The source sayshaving a number of aposematic traits in coloration and behaviorNote: vibe.reason

Source
06

Lagerholm et al. 2014

Lagerholm et al. (2014). On the origin of the Norwegian lemming. Molecular Ecology.

The page saysA warning-colored mountain rodent
The source saysToday, the Norwegian lemming inhabits the mountain tundra of FennoscandiaNote: tagline, mountain
The page saysMountain tundra of Fennoscandia, the region that takes in the Scandinavian Peninsula, Finland and the Kola Peninsula
The source saysToday, the Norwegian lemming inhabits the mountain tundra of Fennoscandia, a region encompassing the Scandinavian Peninsula, Finland and the Kola PeninsulaNote: stats.habitat
The page sayslives in the mountain tundra of Fennoscandia. That region takes in the Scandinavian Peninsula, Finland and the Kola Peninsula
The source saysToday, the Norwegian lemming inhabits the mountain tundra of Fennoscandia, a region encompassing the Scandinavian Peninsula, Finland and the Kola PeninsulaNote: body range

Source
07

Amori 2024

Amori (2024). Lemmus lemmus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024: e.T11481A221786418.

The page saysLeast Concern
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: stats.conservationStatus; GBIF copy of the Red List, taxon 11481
The page saysThe IUCN Red List rates the Norway lemming Least Concern.
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: body
The page saysNo. The IUCN Red List places it in its Least Concern category.
The source saysIUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC).Note: FAQ; assessment year left out (the DOI's 2024-2 is the Red List version, not read from the assessment)

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.