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Field Guide/Mammals/Southern Bog Lemming

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Synoptomys Cooperi (Southern Bog Lemming)
Family: Lemming
Size: The average length of the Southern Bog Lemming is 3.7-6.06in (94-154mm). The average length of its tail is .51-.94in (13-24 mm). And, its average weight is .75oz (21.4-50g).[1]
Description: This species is small with a very short tail, minimal length, and small eyes. The head is larger compared to its body size. The hair color ranges from a light chestnut to a darker shade of brown. .[2]
Similar Species: The Southern Bog Lemming is the smallest when it comes to body size in the mice family. The sexes also do not make a significant difference when it comes to size.[1]

Range: This specie’s general range of population is in the Northeastern part of the United States and South Eastern parts of Canada. In Minnesota in particular, the population thrives in the North Western part of the state.[3]
Habitat: The Southern Bog Lemming's habitat ranges from wet grasslands, forests, to grassy wetlands. It's burrow holes are typically 6-12 inches deep and its home range varies from 1/4 of an acre.[4]
Diet: This species diet consists of plants, leaves, stems, and seeds. It is also known to eat small fruits.[2]
Activity: The Southern Bog Lemming is active day and night throughout the entire year. They tend to be independent creatures that travel alone.[5]

Reproduction: This species breeds year round, but its reproduction thrives between the months of April–September. Gestation lasts between 21-23 days and the litter size once born is about 8-11. The Southern Bog Lemming reaches sexual maturity 60 days after birth.[4]
Lifespan: It has a lifespan of about 2.5 years.[5]

Notes: The Southern Bog Lemming could be the mouse you catch in your house. It breeds year round and says goodbye to their young in just 60 days. They are very small with a short tail and small eyes. Their color ranges from browns, but typically they will be a chestnut or darker brown. Since the Southern Bog Lemming’s population thrives in the Northwestern part of Minnesota, counties such as Marshall, Clearwater, and Lake of the Woods have a significantly larger population than Minneapolis would. This mouse has no significant threats and it is on the “least concerned” list for extinction.
Southern Bog Lemming
  1. ↑ a b Linzey, Alicia (1983), Synoptomys Cooperi, American Society of Mammalogists, pp. 1–5
  2. ↑ a b Linzey, A.V. (2008), Synaptomy Cooperi, IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, p. 1
  3. ↑ Roset, Robert (2012), Minor species as the dominant rodents in an Oldfield, American Midland Naturalist, pp. 1–8
  4. ↑ a b Osbourne, Joseph (2005), Effects of Habitat on small-mammal diversity and abundance in West Virginia, Wildlife Society Bulletin, pp. 814–822
  5. ↑ a b Bien, Walter; Spotilafirst2=James (2007), The distribution of small mammals at the Warren Grove Gunnery Range with special emphasis on Southern Bog Lemming and Meadow Jumping Mice, New Jersey Academy of Science, pp. 9–12
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