Dicrostonyx fossil map
Where fossils of Dicrostonyx have been found, shown on the Earth as it looked about 0 million years ago and on today’s map.
Dots are fossil collections recorded in the Paleobiology Database. The “then” view moves today’s fossil sites back to their positions 0 million years ago (the time slice nearest the median age of the fossils) using the Merdith et al. (2021) plate model; positions are approximate. Open on the timeline map →
| Group | Early mammals |
|---|---|
| Lived | 2.58 million years ago to the present (Gelasian to Holocene) |
| Periods | Quaternary |
| Family | Cricetidae |
| Named by | Gloger 1841 |
| Fossil records | 86 occurrences at 37 locations (PBDB) |
| Found in | Canada, United States, Greenland, Germany, France, Russia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Poland, United Kingdom … |
| Rock formations | txn:41724 |
About Dicrostonyx
Dicrostonyx is a genus of rodent in the family Cricetidae. Its members are known as collared lemmings or varying lemmings. The genus is restricted to high latitudes in the northern hemisphere; one species, the Arctic lemming, has a broad distribution in northern Russia, while the rest are mostly or entirely North American in distribution. They are the only rodents that turn completely white in winter.
Dicrostonyx contains the following species:
Northern collared lemming (Dicrostonyx groenlandicus)
Ungava collared lemming (Dicrostonyx hudsonius)
Nelson's collared lemming (Dicrostonyx nelsoni)
Ogilvie Mountains collared lemming (Dicrostonyx nunatakensis)
Richardson's collared lemming (Dicrostonyx richardsoni)
Arctic lemming (Dicrostonyx torquatus)
Unalaska collared lemming (Dicrostonyx unalascensis)
Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Collared lemming (revision 1358151922), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0; introduction excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Ages, family, authority and fossil records: Paleobiology Database, accessed 23 October 2026. Ages are those of the rock layers the fossils were found in. Wikidata: Q370070.
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