Do lemmings really commit mass suicide?
No.Lemmings do not commit mass suicide. Their populations boom and crash with predators, food and climate. The famous cliff scene in Disney's 1958 film White Wilderness was staged: the lemmings were thrown off by the filmmakers.
What's actually true
Lemmings don't jump off cliffs together. The famous footage of lemmings leaping into the sea came from Disney's 1958 film White Wilderness, and the scene was staged: according to Alaska's wildlife agency, the animals were thrown off a cliff by the filmmakers. Real lemming numbers boom and crash with predators, food and weather, which can push them to spread out, but there's no mass suicide.
Takeaway: The lemming 'suicide' you've seen on film was staged. Their numbers rise and crash; they don't leap together.
Why people believe it
A documentary seemed to show it happening, and for decades nobody questioned footage from a nature film. The real behaviour helps the myth along: lemming numbers swing wildly, and in boom years animals scatter in large numbers, sometimes crossing water. 'Lemming' then became a handy word for people blindly following a crowd, which kept the story alive long after the film was exposed.
Source
“Lemmings do not commit mass suicide.”
Alaska Department of Fish and Game: Lemming Suicide Myth — Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Checked on 2026-10-26.