Dicrostonyx (Noun)
Meaning
Pied lemmings.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The Dicrostonyx is the scientific name given to the genus of rodents commonly referred to as the collared lemmings or the vicious lemmings but also known as the northern or the pied lemmings.
- Found in the tundra and the arctic, the Dicrostonyx primarily feeds on mosses grasses, lichens, berries and green vegetation.
- In warmer weather, lemmings of the Dicrostonyx genus that once were brown have turned a white coat but in colder months turn brown it had beforehand.
- It was noted a population decline of the species Dicrostonyx and a primary or contributing cause of this is of food shortages as tundra being eaten by the grazing animals namely caribou.
- In the wild, Dicrostonyx are known to jump while running because of their notably short but powerful limbs.