Some Common Myths Thought to be True - Myth 40
Myth 40: Lemmings in Mass Suicides Off Cliffs
Lemmings are small rodents, usually found in or near the Arctic, in tundra
biomes. They are subniveal animals, and together with voles and muskrats, they
make up the subfamily Arvicolinae (also known as Microtinae), which forms part
of the largest mammal radiation by far, the superfamily Muroidea, which also
includes rats, mice, hamsters, and gerbils.
|
|
Lemming | |
The misconception of lemming "mass suicide" is long-standing and has been
popularized by a number of factors. It was well enough known to be mentioned in
"The Marching Morons," a 1951 short story by Cyril M. Kornbluth. In 1955,
Disney Studio illustrator Carl Barks drew an Uncle Scrooge adventure comic with
the title "The Lemming with the Locket". This comic, which was inspired by a
1953 American Mercury article, showed massive numbers of lemmings jumping over
Norwegian cliffs. Even more influential was the 1958 Disney film White
Wilderness, which won an Academy Award for Documentary Feature, in which staged
footage was shown with lemmings jumping into certain death after faked scenes
of mass migration. A Canadian Broadcasting Corporation documentary, Cruel
Camera, found the lemmings used for White Wilderness were flown from Hudson Bay
to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where they did not jump off the cliff, but were in
fact launched off the cliff using a turntable.
|
|
⇦ Back to Myth 39 Return to Myth Choices Page 3 On to Myth 41 ⇨ |