There is thought to be intraspecific communication in the form of scent marking from anal secretions. Vocalizations are squeaks.
Communication Channels: acoustic ; chemical
Perception Channels: visual ; tactile ; acoustic ; chemical
Once very common, numbers seem to be declining as a result of habitat destruction and the overgrowth of bogs. One subspecies, Synaptomys cooperi helaletes, is thought endangered and possibly extinct. Other subspecies also appear to be threatened.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: least concern
Southern bog lemmings have important ecosystem roles as food for a number of predators (see above) and as competitors with other small rodents, such as meadow voles.
Southern bog lemmings eat mostly vegetation such as grasses, sedges, mosses, fruits, fungi, bark and roots. Bog lemmings snip stems near the ground to get access to the upper parts. Often surrounding vegetation prohibits the stems from falling, so additional snips must be made. Some invertebrates such as slugs and snails are also taken. The jaws are powerful and thought to be used extensively for gnawing.
Animal Foods: mollusks
Plant Foods: leaves; roots and tubers; wood, bark, or stems; fruit; bryophytes
Other Foods: fungus
Primary Diet: herbivore (Folivore )
Southern bog lemmings are found in eastern North America, from southeast Canada to western Minnesota, down to southwest Kansas and east to northeast North Carolina.
Biogeographic Regions: nearctic (Native )
Synaptomys cooperi occurs mainly in sphagnum bogs, as its common name suggests, but it may also occur in grasslands, and in Canada it occurs in coniferous or deciduous forests. In Michigan, it can be found in clear cuts, old fields, or upland woods. Occurrence within the larger geographic range is patchy--it tends to occupy isolated areas. This is thought to be due to competition with meadow voles.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; terrestrial
Terrestrial Biomes: savanna or grassland ; forest
Wetlands: bog
Wild southern bog lemmings usually do not live for more than a year. In captivity, they may live up to 29 months.
Range lifespan
Status: captivity: 29 (high) months.
Typical lifespan
Status: wild: 1 (high) years.
Average lifespan
Status: wild: < 1 years.
Average lifespan
Status: captivity: 2.5 years.
Southern bog lemmings are small voles, weighing 20 to 50 grams and measuring 110 to 140 mm in total length. The dorsal pelage ranges in color from a chestnut to dark brown that has a grizzled appearance. The venter is silver-gray. Females of this species have 6 mammae, which differentiate it from its closest relative, Synaptomys borealis, which have 8 mammae. The orange incisors are broad and longitudinally grooved. The tail is short, barely longer than the hind foot.
Range mass: 20 to 50 g.
Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
Southern bog lemmings have many predators, including owls, red foxes, gray foxes, domestic dogs, badgers, and house cats.
Known Predators:
Breeding occurs in all seasons, especially where food is not limiting. Most young are born between April and September. Females are polyestrous--one captive bore 6 litters in 22 weeks. Wild females produce 2 or 3 litters per year. Gestation lasts from 23 to 26 days. Mean litter size is 3 but can range from 1 to 8. Males can reach sexual maturity in 5 weeks.
Breeding interval: Southern bog lemmings breed two or three times each year.
Breeding season: Southern bog lemmings breed year round.
Range number of offspring: 1 to 8.
Average number of offspring: 3.
Range gestation period: 23 to 26 days.
Average weaning age: 3 weeks.
Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 5 weeks.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; viviparous
Average birth mass: 3.46 g.
Average number of offspring: 3.
Southern bog lemmings weigh 3.7 grams at birth. Young are born with no fur, closed eyes, and with the ear pinnae folded over. Claws are apparent at birth. By the end of the first week, the young are well furred. The female nurses her young for three weeks.
Parental Investment: altricial ; pre-fertilization (Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-weaning/fledging (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Provisioning: Female, Protecting: Female)
The southern bog lemming (Synaptomys cooperi) is a small North American lemming. Its range overlaps with the other species in genus Synaptomys, the northern bog lemming, in southeastern Canada, but extends farther south.
Southern bog lemmings are covered with thick, brownish fur on their backs that ranges in color from reddish to dark brown and have a grizzled appearance. The belly is silver-gray. The shallow-grooved upper incisors and a relatively shorter tail distinguish this species from other rodents.[2] They have relatively large heads and small eyes. The ears barely show through puffy head fur. Southern bog lemmings have four toes and one small, nailed thumb on the forefeet and five toes on the hind feet. Females have six teats, which distinguishes this species from its closest relative, northern bog lemmings, which have eight.[3] They have a large head, short legs, and a short tail which is lighter underneath. Their upper incisors are grooved. They are 13 cm (5.1 in) long with a 2 cm (0.79 in) tail and weigh about 35 g (1.2 oz).
Southern bog lemmings are found in eastern North America, from southern Quebec and Manitoba in Canada to western Minnesota, to northwestern Georgia, to southwest Kansas, and east to the Atlantic Coast of the United States. This species is more common in deciduous and mixed coniferous–deciduous forests. The grassy openings and edges of these forests, especially where sedges, ferns, and shrubs grow and when the soil is loose and crumbly, are habitats the bog lemming prefers. It also inhabits wetter and drier sites when meadow voles are scarce or absent. The southern bog lemming creates a maze of interconnecting tunnels and runways and builds nests from plant fibers. Summer nests are on the surface of the ground or in a clump of sedges or grasses, but winter nests are usually underground in an enlarged tunnel. These animals are found in mixed forests, wetlands, and grasslands.[4]
Fresh vegetation, especially the leaves, stems, seeds heads, and roots of grasses and sedges is the main food of this species. Raspberries, blueberries and other fruits, insects, fungi, and bark form a lesser part of the diet. They cache grasses and sedge stems in underground chambers. They do not hibernate, and live in groups of a few to several dozen individuals.[5] Female lemmings have two or three litters of four to six young in a year. The young are born in a nest in a burrow or concealed in vegetation. Most live less than a year. The range of these animals is thought to be declining in some areas due to loss of wetland habitat.
They are active year-round, mainly at night. They make runways through the surface vegetation and also dig burrows. These animals are often found in small colonies. Lemming populations go through a 3- or 4-year cycle of boom and bust.
Breeding can occur during any time of the year if food is plentiful. The gestation period is 21–23 days. At birth, the pups are blind and without fur. They also have claws at birth. By the end of their first week, young are well furred. They open their eyes at about 12 days of age. They are weaned at 3 weeks. Male southern bog lemmings reach sexual maturity in 5 weeks. Most individuals breed before they reach their maximum size.[6]
Southern bog lemmings are thought to communicate using scent marking. They also make squeaking vocalizations. Other methods of communication include acoustic, chemical, visual, and tactile.[5]
Southern bog lemmings have many predators, including owls, hawks, red foxes, gray foxes, domestic dogs, badgers, weasels, snakes, bobcats, and house cats.
Two subspecies have become extinct: Kansas bog lemming (S. c. paludis), and Nebraska bog lemming (S. c. relictus).
The southern bog lemming (Synaptomys cooperi) is a small North American lemming. Its range overlaps with the other species in genus Synaptomys, the northern bog lemming, in southeastern Canada, but extends farther south.
