Norwegian Lemmings - Lemenår

The Norwegian Lemming (Lemmus lemmus) is perhaps the most typical Scandinavian mammal. It`s distribution is being restricted to Norway, Sweden, Finland, making it endemic to Scandinavia. It may also be found in the westernmost areas of northern Russia like the Kola peninsula.

The population cycle of lemmings fluctuates dramatically, and if conditions are right, the population may rise to very high levels and in 2011 there has been many reports of lemmings from all over Norway indicating that this is one of the "lemming-years".

I therefore went out looking for this characteristic species in the inland of Troms, and sure enough, as soon as I had left the coast where I live, the roads were full of road-killed lemmings, but also many on the move and they could be seen in all sorts of areas and habitats including tidal zones where they were running like little "slippers" among wading birds like dunlins, red knots and oystercatchers..

It`s a wonderful species to see and with such high numbers of lemmings there is also a good chance that many other species will benefit from all the additional food like e.g. owls, birds of prey and arctic foxes to mention a few.

Norwegian Lemming (Lemmus lemmus)

On the run...

Norwegian lemming (Lemmus lemmus)

Many lemmings don`t survive when they cross the roads

Norwegian lemming (Lemmus lemmus)