What are lemmings?

Lemmings are small polar rodents who, despite their small size, are able to survive harsh winter weather without hibernation. They are most associated with oxen and muscrats and share a lot in common with hamsters and gerbils. In fact, there are many types of lemming, mostly with dark brown or light brown and black. People compare them with chipmunks in appearance. The length of the body can change between two to six inches (5.08-15.24 cm). Like hamsters, they have very small tails, almost non -existent. Like many rodents, they must always chew to keep their teeth that are constantly growing, in a reasonable size. Lemmings achieves this tooth administration through their herbivorous diet, which consists of grass and roots.

Since lemmings do not exceed, they show the behavior of food storage. It saves parts of food that they collect during the milder monthly consume during the winter. Are also adept at playing into the snow to get the gentle young grass that are buried there and increasetheir winter supply of food.

The misconceptions of lemming have existed for many years. They are reproduced by extremely fast rates, causing some people in the North European countries, up to the 16th century, believe that Lemmings was simply made of air. Although, of course, this myth disappeared over time, Lemmings was convicted of stupid because of the legends that exist about mass suicide.

Actually, Lemmings does not commit mass suicide. Together for migration, which is actually a short time, Lemmings sometimes falls from cliffs or drowns, but not ointment . The urban legend surrounding the suicide of trim from the document created by Disney in 1958, White Wilderness . The film shows the incidence of mass suicide lemmings.

The filmmakers were quite responsible for the death of filmed Lemmings. Captured several dozens, used “The evil Disney 'to make it look more, and then chased Lemmings of the cliff. Lemmings Mass Suicide Myth, presented in the form of "documentary", persisted, despite considerable evidence vice versa. Fortunately, in most cases, groups for animal rights would not allow such a case of animal abuse be maintained today.

Despite this bad and undeserved lemmings reputation, people enjoy them. They are unlikely to meet them in mass groups because they tend to live in lone burrows and meet only for mating and migration. Although not all states or countries allow it, some lemmings are held as pets where they are compared in behavior with hamsters.