Michigan mammals

Southern Bog Lemming in Michigan

Synaptomys cooperi

Native to Michigan S5 Secure in Michigan

Not listed as nonindigenous in Michigan by USGS NAS; native to its Michigan range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

AI-generated image: Southern bog lemming alert among wet sedges and sphagnum at a bog edge. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Southern bog lemming moving through bog sedges. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracyAI-generated image: Southern bog lemming sitting on sphagnum moss. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
AI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracySouthern bog lemming alert among wet sedges and sphagnum at a bog edgeAI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracySouthern bog lemming moving through bog sedgesAI-generated image No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracySouthern bog lemming sitting on sphagnum moss

Southern Bog Lemming in Michigan, by the numbers

Rare in Michigan 53rd most recorded of 75 mammals logged in Michigan

115 occurrence records
3 with iNaturalist photos
Aug 29, 2024 Last seen in Michigan

Records from 2000–2026.

115 total records count every Michigan occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 113 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Southern Bog Lemming in Michigan

Most sightings fall in June to August.

113 Michigan occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Michigan records (table)
MonthRecords
January1
February2
March3
April5
May14
June19
July22
August30
September3
October5
November8
December1

Monthly southern bog lemming occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Michigan, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Michigan, with recorded sightings peaking in June–August.

Occurrence map

Where Southern Bog Lemming has been recorded in Michigan

115 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

115 Michigan records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Ottawa National Forest 9
Rose Lake State Wildlife Area 9
Crystal Falls State Forest Area 4
Edwin S. George Biological Station 2
Gwinn State Forest Area 1
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore 1
Roscommon State Forest Area 1

Protected places with the most southern bog lemming sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Michigan

CountyRecords
Crawford County 20
Gogebic County 12
Washtenaw County 10
Kalkaska County 9
Clinton County 9
Cheboygan County 9
Iron County 6
Dickinson County 5
Marquette County 4
Kalamazoo County 3
Livingston County 3
Montmorency County 3
17 other counties 22

The complete county distribution, spread across 29 Michigan counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Southern bog lemming records in Michigan run almost entirely through GBIF, 115 entries against just 3 from iNaturalist, reflecting a fossorial rodent that lives in grass-roofed surface runways and is documented mostly through trapping surveys, not photographs. Ottawa National Forest, Hiawatha National Forest, and Seney National Wildlife Refuge anchor the record.

Reports concentrate from May through July, tracking the growing season when meadow and sedge cover is thickest and trapping effort typically runs. NatureServe still ranks the species S5, Secure, in Michigan despite the thin photographic record, a case where the record count measures how rarely this lemming surfaces, not how common it actually is underground.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

AI-generated image: Southern bog lemming alert among wet sedges and sphagnum at a bog edge. No public-domain photograph of this species exists. This image was generated with AI from verified reference material and reviewed by our editorial team for accuracy
Full species profile Southern Bog Lemming Synaptomys cooperi Size 11.8 cm4.6 in Weight 35 g1.2 oz Lifespan Up to 2.5 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Michigan in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"