Wildlifeof China
Wood Lemming
Rats, Mice, Voles & Porcupines
Photo: Risto S. Pynnönen, user Pyntsi on fi.wikipedia · Public domain
Myopus schisticolor
Basic stats
Diet
Primarily mosses, supplemented by grasses and bilberry leaves and stems
Habitat
Taiga, especially spruce forest with thick moss cover
Range
Northern Eurasia, including northeastern China
Litter size
3–7
Size
Approximately 8–11.5cm head-and-body length
Weight
Approximately 20–40g
The wood lemming is a small, compact rodent with short ears and tail and a rusty-brown patch contrasting with darker grey upperparts. It inhabits the Eurasian taiga from Scandinavia to eastern Russia, Mongolia and northeastern China. Females greatly outnumber males because of an unusual sex-determination system involving a modified X chromosome. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Spruce forest with deep moss and abundant fallen timber is preferred. Mosses, particularly Dicranum, dominate the diet, supplemented by grasses and bilberry vegetation. Population density varies sharply between years, and dispersal occurs during peaks. Females usually produce two or three litters annually, each containing three to seven young. (Wikipedia, general species account)
Quick answers
- What does the Wood Lemming eat?
- Primarily mosses, supplemented by grasses and bilberry leaves and stems
- What habitat does the Wood Lemming live in?
- Taiga, especially spruce forest with thick moss cover
- Where is the Wood Lemming found?
- Northern Eurasia, including northeastern China
- What is the litter size of the Wood Lemming?
- 3–7
- How big is the Wood Lemming?
- Approximately 8–11.5cm head-and-body length
- How much does the Wood Lemming weigh?
- Approximately 20–40g