Snow owl females in the Arctic tundra deny their partner any sexual intercourse until the male feeds her with lemmings on their nesting place.They do not do this out of material greed. Lemmings are the main food of snow owls. Every three to four years however these prey animals are very scarce. Therfore the male can only find a few and eats them himself. But it would not be possible to raise the offspring like that. So there will be no fertilisation if the offspring would have to starve to death anyway.
Kategorie: Vögel
Größe: Beak to tail 53-65 cm; wingspan 125-150 cm
Brutdauer: 32-33 days
Lebensalter: 28 years
Geschlechtsreife: at 2 years
Reproduktion: 4-8 eggs
Nahrung: lemmings and other small mammals, birds, rarely fish, insects, including carrion
Lebensraum: arctic tundra, meadows and wet meadows, heather, marsh, salt marshes, sandy coasts
Gefährdung: not endangered
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