Campagnol-lemming boréal— Quebec wildlife

The northern bog lemming (Synaptomys borealis) is a small North American lemming. It is one of two species in the genus Synaptomys, the other being the southern bog lemming (S. cooperi). Very little information is available about this species' life as they are hard to find and study. The northern bog lemming is a small, reddish-brown rodent with a short tail, and distinct markings on their upper teeth. These markings, along with having four pairs of teats, distinguishes this species from the southern bog lemming. The northern bog lemming lives in wet habitats in North America and is omnivorous, eating herbaceous material and invertebrates. They are thought to be extremely sociable animals and sexually mature at around 6 weeks old. Predators include most medium to larger sized carnivorous and omnivorous mammals that eat smaller mammals. The northern bog lemming is listed as a species of "Least Concern" by the IUCN Red List and is considered threatened or of concern in states such as Minnesota and Maine.

Description

With no specific sexual dimorphisms, the northern bog lemming has varying shades of brown, reddish-brown, and chestnut fur on the top, with gray to light brown fur on the bottom. Their fur is long and coarse. These lemmings have black beady eyes, a short tail, small ears, grey feet, and a small, flat nose. They are around 4.8 to 5.7 inches (12 to 14 cm) long with a tail that is usually shorter than 1 inch (2.5 cm). They weigh around 1 ounce.

Diet

The northern bog lemming is an omnivorous mammal that primarily feeds on grasses, moss and sedge. Occasionally, they will eat insects, worms, slugs, snails, or fungi. A common habit of these lemmings, which signifies their presence in an area, is that they create surface tunnels under vegetation to travel through and to forage in. They line these tunnels with piles of cut grass. They also leave behind green scat.