Angry Norwegian lemmings are the bravest of them all

The angry Norwegian lemming is one of the bravest rodents in the world because it has evolved aposematic traits to ward off predators, a study has suggested. Norwegian lemmings have an interesting reputation, with people often mistakenly believing they are “crazed creatures“ that commit suicide by throwing themselves off cliffs, or exploding because they are so angry. Aposematism is unusual among herbivorous mammals – normally it is seen in insects, snakes and frogs. Cryptic evolution is an adaptive evolutionary change masked by concurrent environmental change.