Lemming

High school (ages 12+)
Animals & Nature

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/lemming

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the scientific name?Subfamily Arvicolinae
2. What is the diet?Herbivore; primarily grasses, sedges, mosses, lichens, roots, and bark
3. What do lemmings look like and how do they stay warm in the cold?They are small, stout-bodied rodents with dense fur that changes color with the seasons. Their short limbs, small ears, and stubby tails help keep heat from escaping.
4. Where do lemmings live and what do they build?Lemmings live in the Arctic tundra and dig burrow systems under the snow. These burrows keep them safe from the cold and from predators.

Subnivean: Referring to the environment or activity that occurs beneath the snowpack.
Fossorial: Adapted for digging and living primarily underground.
Population Cycles: Regular and predictable fluctuations in the number of individuals within a population over time.