Wisconsin mammals

Southern Bog Lemming in Wisconsin

Synaptomys cooperi

Native to Wisconsin S4 Apparently Secure in Wisconsin

Not listed as nonindigenous in Wisconsin by USGS NAS; native to its Wisconsin 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 Wisconsin, by the numbers

Occasional in Wisconsin 39th most recorded of 75 mammals logged in Wisconsin

104 occurrence records
7 with iNaturalist photos
May 21, 2026 Last seen in Wisconsin

Records from 2000–2026.

104 total records count every Wisconsin occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the monthly chart covers the 99 records with a full observation date.

When to look for the Southern Bog Lemming in Wisconsin

Most sightings fall in August to September.

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

Monthly Wisconsin records (table)
MonthRecords
January2
February0
March0
April0
May2
June11
July13
August42
September26
October0
November2
December1

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

Seasonality

Year-round in Wisconsin, with recorded sightings peaking in August–September.

Occurrence map

Where Southern Bog Lemming has been recorded in Wisconsin

104 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

104 Wisconsin records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Nicolet National Forest 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 Wisconsin

CountyRecords
Lincoln County 52
Ashland County 20
Vilas County 13
Oneida County 7
Oconto County 2
Monroe County 2
Sawyer County 2
Menominee County 2
Bayfield County 1
Burnett County 1
Douglas County 1
Eau Claire County 1

The complete county distribution, spread across 12 Wisconsin counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Wisconsin Southern Bog Lemming records connect Chequamegon-Nicolet’s moist forest openings and bog margins with sedge-rich wetland settings around Horicon and Necedah. August dominates the record series, with July and September secondary, a shape that likely reflects targeted trapping windows and access to saturated habitats as much as animal activity.

Only 7 of 104 records are from iNaturalist; nearly the entire dataset comes through GBIF. Records therefore show where surveys and collections detected lemmings, not their abundance, and a heavily sampled wetland can appear more important than similar but unsurveyed habitat.

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 Wisconsin 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"