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Collared Lemming

Dicrostonyx groenlandicus
So I'm stuck at home with a snow day today, so what better animal to talk about than one that turns white in the winter? The Collared Lemmings are members of a genus native to North America. They are the only rodents that change color with the seasons!

Collared Lemmings look quite a bit like large Hamsters. They have round bodies, tiny ears, and very short tails. They also possess very strong claws that allow them to dig out burrows in the ground and in the snow. They line these long tunnels with anything soft that they can find, including grasses and muskox hair.

Even though the Collared Lemmings are able to change from brown to white to camouflage themselves, they are still easy prey for a number of different species. In fact, most Lemmings don't live longer than a year in the wild, due to predation rates. it should come as no surprise them they they breed frequently, and produce large litters. In one year a female can have 3 separate litters of up to 8 offspring each time.
IUCN Status : Least Concern
Location : North America
Size : Body Length around 6in (14cm)
Classification : Phylum : Chordata -- Class : Mammalia -- Order : Rodentia
Family : Cricetidae -- Genus : Dicrostonyx
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  1. AnnaDecember 21, 2012 at 10:05 AM

    Hi your blog is very interesting and i like it.
    you have also a lovely photos captured its very clear.

    for more. see and comment my blog
    Endangered animals
    http://wildandendangeredanimals.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete

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