Collared lemming standing in grass

35 mm slide; color. Scientific Classification: Kingdom: Animalia; Phylum: Chordata; Class: Mammalia; Order: Rodentia; Family: Muridae; Genus: Dicrostonyx; Genus species: Dicrostonyx groenlandicus. Animal characteristics: Identification: In the summer the coat of the collared lemming is brown and heavy. Its winter coat is white, and the third and fourth front claws grow another prong; Habitat: Tundra; Diet: Herbivore: green plants, herbs; Reproduction: Breeding in the summer and winter, collared lemmings can have 2-4 litters per year. Gestation lasts 16-28 days, after which the female gives birth to 5-8 young. Lemmings live for one or two years; Social Structure: Collared lemmings are solitary with males and females keeping separate territories; Behavior: Despite the cold winters of the Arctic, lemmings do not hibernate. Rather, they burrow deep beneath the snow to escape the cold. Lemmings will sometimes migrate long distances, possibly triggered by overcrowding; Status: No special status; Interesting Facts: This is the only rodent that molts to completely white fur in the winter.