Some scientists, having nothing better to do, have puzzled over this question for decades. Maybe this behavior is instinctual. Maybe it's culturally conditioned. Whatever the answer, thousands of lemmings the world over continue to march to the edges of cliffs and simply leap into the great unknown. Among lemmings, this behavior is considered normal.
Lemmings never think about why they jump off cliffs.
They just do it. Emmy the lemming grew up with a bunch of other lemmings among the rubber trees and crabgrass, just a few miles from the edge of a cliff. These days were filled with laughter and joy. But as Emmy grew older, she, like all the others, began to feel the strange pull toward the edge of the cliff. All the other lemmings chattered excitedly about the coming JumpFest, and many of Emmy's young friends were even planning to participate this year.