Every once in a while, Norwegian lemmings make a frenzied ascent up a steep cliff only to ritualistically offer themselves up as sacrifices to Davy Jones. It’s left us with many assumptions about the tiny rodent. We call people ‘lemmings’ as an insult, under a belief that these critters are witless followers, allowing groupthink to guide them right off the edge to a watery grave.
Ready to find out one more way that Disney fucked up your ideas about reality?
Today’s Moment of Science… the myth of suicidal lemmings.
It’s true, giant herds of Norwegian lemmings occasionally go all “Ma, look I’m gonna do a cannonball” off the side of a cliff, much to the confusion of locals. Theories popped up over the years that have stuck, a popular one being that they go cliff diving as a method of population control.
The problem with this idea? The little fuckers are great swimmers.
It turns out that they’re not jumping to put an end to their adorable little lemming existence. This is the result of being such successful breeders that they need more resources. When they venture out seeking more land and food, something like a measly body of water isn’t enough to stand in the way of the mighty lemming. To be fair, not all of them survive the journey, and the occasional drowned lemming granted the myth undue credibility.
Their total numbers grow immensely through breeding season, which may have contributed to the population control idea. The more likely explanation is that their existence runs in regular cycles of population boom followed by sharp reduction courtesy of several factors, including predators like the arctic fox, red fox, and snowy owl.
Though there have been stories of lemmings seemingly falling from the skies for centuries, sometimes lemmings just scurry into the water on the shore. But it’s a lot harder to stage footage of tossing hundreds of lemmings into the water reverse D-Day style and hope to capture an expression of ennui for the camera from the rodent.
Because that’s, give or take, exactly how Disney birthed the lemming-cliff-diving-suicide legend.
They filmed a documentary called White Wilderness. Well, they presented a thing they called a documentary, because documentaries aren’t supposed to be works of fantasy. They portrayed a rather upsetting scene of lemmings hurtling themselves off a cliff, ostensibly by their own choice, to their deaths.
You didn’t see that Disney paid locals $1 per lemming. Or that they brought the lemmings to the top of a cliff and pushed them. Or that they weren’t even using the species of lemming known for taking to the water. Or that they weren’t even in the country- or continent- where that species lived.
I wonder if Disney gave me any other unrealistic expectations.
Though it’s hunted as prey, the Norwegian lemming has the type of vibrant fur colors and patterns that screams to predators, “not today, motherfucker.” It’s been described by the BBC as a “bloodthirsty hairy berserker,” will freak the fuck out when it feels threatened by encroaching humans, and will attack other small and medium sized animals. A lemming may not be able to fuck up a cat, but it’ll threaten one into thinking it can.
This animal BASE jumps without a parachute, swims long distances for survival, and plays mind games that make a cat go “woah, dude, be cool.”
Keep all that in mind next time you call someone a lemming.
This has been your daily Moment of Science, taking the new band name of the Ferocious Lemming.
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I have a friend who was threatened by a lemming while hiking in the frozen north, They are absolutely fearless.