Lemmings are small rodents belong to the order Rodentia and
the family Cricetidae and the subfamily Arvicolinae. Other members of the
subfamily include voles and muskrats. Lemmings have long fur and short tails.
Lemmings can grow as large as six inches and weigh as much as four ounces.
Herbivorous by nature, lemmings feed on grass, shrubs and
plant bulbs. Because they do not hibernate during the winter they survive on
stored supplies of grass and shrubs and roots they uncover from burrowing in the
snow. Strong front teeth make gnawing
through frozen shrubs possible.
It is commonly believed that lemmings have a habit of committing
suicide en masse. This is not true. Lemmings migrate when supplies grow short
due top intense population spurts. They may mistakenly fall off a cliff due to
a miscalculation but do not consciously kill themselves.