Home › Mammalia › Cricetidae › Wood Lemming (Myopus schisticolor)
SPECIES PROFILE
Wood Lemming (Myopus schisticolor)
Myopus
IUCN STATUS
Least Concern
CONSERVATION STATUS
Least Concern
CLASS
Mammalia
GEOGRAPHICAL RANGE
Northern Europe, Siberia
DIET
Herbivorous
HABITAT
Boreal forest, mossy areas
🔬 Classification
PHYLUM
Chordata
CLASS
Mammalia
ORDER
Rodentia
FAMILY
Cricetidae
GENUS
Myopus
📋 Description
SIZE
8-12 cm body, 20-40 g
COLORATION
Grey-brown, reddish back
ADAPTATIONS
High reproduction, lemming cycles
🌿 Ecology
HABITAT
Boreal forest, mossy areas
DIET
Herbivorous
GEOGRAPHIC RANGE
Northern Europe, Siberia
REPRODUCTION
4-8 young, multiple litters
DIET DETAILS
Mosses, grasses
⚠️ Threats & Conservation
PRIMARY THREATS
Habitat loss
💡 Interesting Facts
1
The wood lemming has unusual sex determination (some females produce only female offspring). It undergoes population cycles.
2
It is one of the few lemmings that lives in forest rather than tundra.
🔭 Sighting Guide
📍 BEST PLACES TO SIGHT
Finnish taiga
🗓️ BEST TIME TO SIGHT
Very hard to see; look for runways in mossy forest.
🎯 SIGHTING TIPS
Year-round
