大象传媒

In a snowy landscape a few plant stems start to twitch and the nose of a white-furred lemming pokes out from under the snow. Lemmings spend most of the winter in tunnels beneath the snow, protected from the winter weather. They feed on last summer's vegetation. This lemming suckles her babies in a nest of dry grass hidden under the snow. Giving birth before the snow has melted gives lemmings a head start in the short summer season. Every four years, when conditions are at their best, lemming numbers rise dramatically, and they must migrate to fresh pastures to survive. Mass suicides are a myth. In spring her fur has turned brown and the lemming emerges from the tunnels. The damp conditions and rotting vegetation force the rodents on to the surface, and thus into the path of predators. A skua chases a lemming across the snow, but the little creature jumps at the bird and chases it off.