Why do Lemmings jump off cliffs?

Question

Is it so they don't over populate? Or is it just just a myth

Answer 1

It is a myth - they don't.

Lemming populations go through rapid growths and subsequent crashes that have entered popular consciousness as a supposedly "widespread" phenomenon, first noted in an encyclopaedia in 1908 but famously promulgated by the Walt Disney Pictures film, White Wilderness. White Wilderness depicted a mass suicide using staged footage of a dozen or so tame lemmings purposely driven into the sea. This created one of the greatest myths, causing many people to believe that they ran off cliffs on purpose, commiting suicide.

In fact, the behavior of lemmings is much the same as that of many other rodents which have periodic population booms and then disperse in all directions, seeking the food and shelter that their natural habitat cannot provide. The actual reason for their 'suicide' deaths is because lemmings have poor eyesight and cannot distinguish a small river, which they can easily cross, from a fjord, in which they will almost surely drown

Answer 2

They don't. This myth was spread by a fabricated nature documentary in 1958 'White Wilderness'. After this show humans widely believed that lemmings committed suicide, and on a massive scale. The filming took place in Alberta, Canada. But when the film crew got there, they found no lemmings and no examples of suicide. The lemming's natural habitat is northern Canada, Alaska, Siberia and Scandinavia. Not to be dissuaded, the principal photographer (James Simon) and crew went down the unfortunate path of story fabrication. They paid Inuit children from Manitoba 25 cents for every lemming they could catch.
They then placed the lemmings on a large turntable, like a 'merry-go-round' hidden with snow, and got the lemmings running. With some imaginative camera angles and editing, they made a few dozen lemmings look like thousands migrating and rushing to a scene even more startling. After the migration sequence, the lemmings were collected and taken to a cliff top overlooking a river. The documentary crew crouched down hidden from the cameras, and pushed the lemmings over the edge of the cliff to their death in the rushing water below. The myth of lemming suicide turned from fable to money-spinning 'fact'.

Answer 3

It's a complete myth, the only recorded incident was when the usual migration route of some lemmings was eroded into the sea and some fell off by accident. It has nothing to do with populations, if an area becomes over populated they simply migrate out like any other animal. Although the idea that animals happily commit suicide is an interesting one...
Xx~xX

Answer 4

There's a casino game called The Lucky Lemmings and they jump off a cliff in the bonus round, so it MUST be true!! LOL!!!

Answer 5

I agree its another myth.

When we're on the subject. What do you get if you cross a kangaroo with a lemming?

A. An animal that jumps to it's own conclusion.

Answer 6

a totally false premise bought about by mistaken veiwing by old explorers. In actuality all their doing is what penguines do ie make their way into water, they DONT go off cliffs.

Answer 7

yes because of over population puts stress on the population

Answer 8

its a myth. simpe as that.

There has jsut been one case of lemming jumpng off cliffs but they were driven off ( in Norway I think ) by beaters.

Answer 9

It's a myth.

Answer 10

They don't. It's a myth.