Topic awaiting preservation: Lemmings Aren't Suicidal

Contrary to popular belief Lemmings aren't suicidal nor completely stupid ( except those ones )

Mathieu "POÏ" HENRI

It hurts to see the death of a great analogy.

Interesting. I wonder where the "rushing off cliffs to their deaths" idea came from in the first place...

Drunken Biologist #1: Hey, look at thish... the lemming population descreashezh sharply every four yearzhhh...

Drunken Biologist #2: Remember the last time we all got drunk, and half the lab threw themshelvezh off a cliff?

DB #1: That musht be it! They're shuishidal!

DB #2: Or maybe they jusht get reeeeallly hammered every four yearzh....


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Suho: www.liminality.org

From what I've read, the myth came from an old Disney documentary in which the producer made up some BS about the lemmings killing themselves. As I remember it, Disney tried to correct the mistake when they discovered the lie, but the damage was done and people have believed it ever since.

Edit: Ah, here's the story ...




[This message has been edited by Wes (edited 11-04-2003).]

Too bad, you know. This completely nullifies one of my favourite Red Dwarf lines:

"I had a pet lemming once. I loved that little lemming. I built him a little wall so he could hurl himself off it."

And the Varmint from Terry Pratchett's novels is no longer quite as relevant, but still funny.

"The Varmint is similar to the lemming, but is more cautious; they only throw themselves off small rocks."

Oh well, another urban legend gone.

But the games...my childhood...all gone

*breaks down and sobs*

Wes: Ah, thanks for that. I should have thought to check snopes.


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Suho: www.liminality.org

fascinating stuff all the way around. you learn something new everyday...

chris


KAIROSinteractive

well, shit... look at that...

the lemming economy of the animal kingdom...


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a very interesting read, thanks poi

And here I was thinking you had done some great discovery about the Lemmings computer game

But thanks for posting the link anyway, was an interresting article.

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"There are 10 kinds of people; those who know binary, those who don't and those who start counting at zero"
- the Golden Ratio -

This is the first I've heard of the predator/prey connection, but I did know about the "accidental death" scenario...

Sort of a quaint little urban legend... hate to see the entertaining ones get proved wrong. But it's kind of disturbing to note that humans really are the only species with such self-annihilating neuroses... Of course we tried to pawn it off on the fuzzy little rodents in denial... Misery loves company you know!




Cell 617

quote:

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But it's kind of disturbing to note that humans really are the only species with such self-annihilating neuroses

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What about the squirell that dobuled-back infront of my car? I'm fairly convinced that it was trying to kill itself...

It was probably one of those squirrels that got so pissed off at the world that it had no other choice.

(edit: oh yeah, offensive language follows)

[This message has been edited by Raptor (edited 11-05-2003).]

Rauthrin: There's a difference between stupidity and suicidal tendencies.

Although it's sometimes hard to tell the difference in human beings, too...


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Suho: www.liminality.org

As I heard it, some of those squirrels are woking for the car insurance companies... They get combat pay in acorns for it!



Cell 617