The myth of suicidal lemmings has been circulating since the 19th century, reinforced by an apparently staged spectacle in the 1958 Disney documentary White Wilderness.
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There are 20 species of these members of the rodent family, found from North American bogs to the Mongolian steppe.
Norway lemmings (Lemmus lemmus) are some of the best studied and are adapted to life on the Arctic tundra. They tunnel under the snow and even breed through the winter when they can find enough lichens and mosses.
To explain the lemmings’ abundance in spring, early naturalists and folklorists believed they fell from the sky or travelled on the wind.
The idea that these mammals have a death wish is another misinterpretation. In a cycle linked to predators, climate and food resources, lemming numbers can increase dramatically every three to five years with populations 10 to 100 times the norm.
The baby boom encourages the animals to disperse but, when dense groups meet difficult water crossings or cliff obstacles, accidents can happen.
Scientists are currently more concerned about how climate change could be impacting the natural cycle of abundance in the Arctic.
Top image: a Norwegian lemming. Credit: arnsteins/Getty Images
