87/150: Richardson’s Collared Lemming – an endemic mammal to Canada

Animalia: Chordata: Mammalia: Rodentia: Cricetidae: Dicrostonyx: Dicrostonyx richardsoni (Merriam, 1900)

There are only a few mammals endemic to Canada and one of them is the Richardson’s Collared Lemming. This adorable little rodent is found in the Arctic, west of Hudson Bay and was named after Sir John Richardson, a Scottish naturalist who explored the Canadian Arctic. These lemmings live in gregarious colonies of a few dozen individuals and mostly forage on the twigs and stems of arctic shrubbery. They are also a major food source for carnivorous animals that live in the Arctic, especially when their populations are high in numbers. A unique feature of this lemming as well as its cousins in the Dicrostonyx genus is that its coat changes colour to white in the winter. This genus of rodents is the only known rodents in North America to have this characteristic. #Canada150 #Biodiversity150

Here’s the barcode sequence information for this species:

Process ID:  ABMCH026-07

nucleotide sequence

ACCCTATATCTCNTATTTGGTGCTTGAGCAGGAATGGTAGGAACAGCCCTTAGCATTTTAATCCGGGCAGAACTTGGCCAACCCGGTGCCCTACTAGGGGATGATCAAATCTACAATGTAGTTGTAACAGCCCATGCGTTTGTCATAATCTTCTTCATAGTCATACCAATAATAATCGGGGGATTCGGTAACTGACTGGTCCCGCTCATAATTGGAGCCCCTGACATAGCATTCCCACGAATGAACAACATAAGCTTCTGACTCCTACCCCCTTCATTCCTTCTCCTATTAGCATCCTCAATAGTGGAAGCCGGGGCAGGAACAGGCTGAACTGTCTATCCCCCATTAGCCGGCAACCTAGCACACGCAGGAGCATCAGTAGATCTCACAATCTTCTCCCTCCACTTGGCAGGAGTATCCTCAATTCTAGGCGCCATCAACTTTATCACTACGATTATTAACATAAAACCCCCAGCCATAACACAGTATCAAACCCCATTATTTGTTTGATCAGTCCTAATTACCGCTGTCCTACTCCTTCTGTCCCTACCAGTCTTAGCTGCAGGTATCACGATACTTCTCACAGACCGAAATTTAAACACCACTTTCTTCGACCCAGCCGGAGGTGGAGATCCAATTCTTTACCAACACTTATTC

amino acid sequence

TLYLXFGAWAGMVGTALSILIRAELGQPGALLGDDQIYNVVVTAHAFVMIFFMVMPMMIGGFGNWLVPLMIGAPDMAFPRMNNMSFWLLPPSFLLLLASSMVEAGAGTGWTVYPPLAGNLAHAGASVDLTIFSLHLAGVSSILGAINFITTIINMKPPAMTQYQTPLFVWSVLITAVLLLLSLPVLAAGITMLLTDRNLNTTFFDPAGGGDPILYQHLF

Learn more about it’s BIN (Barcode Index Number): BOLD:ABY7413