Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A rare forest-dweller is the solitary lynx, which is northern Europe's only large cat.
Lemen
(lemmings) occupy mountain areas through 30% of the country and stay mainly
around 800m altitude in the south and lower in the north. They measure up to 10cm and
havesoftorange-brownandblackfur,beadyeyes,ashorttailandprominentupperincisors.
If you encounter a lemming in the mountains, it may become enraged, hiss, squeak and at-
tempt to attack!
The World of the Polar Bear
by Norbert Rosing is not one to take on your travels, but there's no finer pho-
tographic record of this remarkable species with informative accompanying text.
Othersmaller mammal speciesthataremoredifficulttoseeinclude
hare (
Arctichares),
pinnsvin
(hedgehogs; mainly in southern Trøndelag),
bever
(beavers; southern Norway),
grevling
(badgers),
oter
(otters),
jerv
(wolverines),
skogmår
(pinemartens),
vesel
(weasels)
and
røyskatt
(stoats).
THE TRUTH ABOUT LEMMINGS
Few creatures have been so unjustly maligned as the humble lemming. We've all
heard tales of countless lemmings diving off cliffs to their deaths in a ritual of mass
suicide. Some people also maintain that their bite is fatal and that they spread dis-
ease.
All you need to know about lemmings? Actually, no. Firstly, although lemmings
can behave aggressively and ferociously (sometimes even when neither threatened
nor cornered), there's no evidence that their bite is any more dangerous than that of
other rodents.
As for their self-destructive behaviour, lemmings are known for their periodic
mass movements every five to 20 years, when a particularly prolific breeding season
results in overpopulation. Thanks to the increased numbers, the vegetation is decim-
ated and food sources grow scarce, forcing swarms of lemmings (the last plague was
in 2001) to descend from the high country in search of other, less-crowded high
ground. Most meet an undistinguished fate, squashed on roads or eaten by predators
and domestic animals. Indeed, for a couple of years following a lemming population
surge, there will also be an increase in the population of such predators as foxes, buz-
zards and owls.
Quite often, however, the swarms head for the sea, and often do face high cliffs.
When the press of their numbers builds up near the back of the ranks, the leaders
may be forced over the edge. Also, inclement weather when crossing fjords or lakes
