Distinguishing one from the other, or even lemmings from voles, is difficult. Many of the small rodents in the north have a similar appearance, especially during the summer months. The information below will help to identify lemming species in the field, but positive identification can be made only with the help of a mammology text or field guide which gives detailed information on tooth structure and skull conformation. The brown lemming , Lemmus sibiricus , is the only true lemming in Alaska.
Brown lemmings inhabit open tundra areas.
Their principal summer foods are tender shoots of grasses and sedges. During the winter they eat bark and twigs of willow and dwarf birch. They also are known to be cannibalistic during times of food stress. These lemmings are heavily furred, grayish or brownish above and buffy beneath, and are stockily built. They are well-adapted for their rigorous climate with short tails and ears so small they are almost hidden by fur.