Finnish wildlife

Finlands vast forest makes up roughly three-quarters of the countrys landscape and its numerous lakes and rivers holds a wide variety of unique land and aquatic animals. Finland is home to around sixty native mammals, One in which the Finnish people have shared a close relationship towards are reindeer. Finlands artic weather and forests have provided an ideal habitat for the reindeer. The domestication and herding of reindeer have been passed down throughout generations for centuries and holds great tradition and pride for the Finnish people. The Wild boar is another Even-toed ungulate found in Finland. It has been hunted and domesticated for its meat for centuries as well. Pork is Finlands number one consumed meat making the wild bore a valued hunting prize in years past and now the domesticated pig a valuable asset. Finland is home to several predatory mammals. There are around one thousand brown bears that inhabit Finlands forests. The brown bear is considered Finlands national animal and is deeply connected to Finnish folk lore and history. The brown bears of Finland are also notoriously shy and quite rare to spot adding to their mysterious charm felt by the Finnish people. The gray wolf and the artic wolf also inhabit Finland. They are just now recovering there population form the widespread destruction of territory and history of being hunted. Artic foxes are common to Finland and live usually in Finlands tundras. The Artic foxs adaptations for cold environments provide the necessary adaptations for the Finnish landscape. While the arctic foxes are not an endangered, there population in some regions of Finland and those of neighboring countries is threatened.

The wolverine is another predatory mammal found in Finland. It is the largest member of the weasel family and its large bear-like appearance and ferocious nature has caused it to be severely over hunted, leaving it on Finlands Red list. The remaining Finnish wolverines live of the rocky sides of mountains and are extremely rare to spot. The Finnish European lynx is one of the few reaming wild cat species that inhabit Europe. They are listed as Near Threatened on the IUCN Red List and Finlands forest remain one of their last remaining habitats. Many other predatory mammals found in Finland like the wolverine belong to the mustelid family. These include the badger, European pine martin, common otter, least weasel, and European mink. There are 450 breeding bird species in Finland ranging from swans, geese and ducks to pelicans and storks to hawks, eagles, osprey, falcons and vast other species. The several fresh water lakes and vast forest provides an abundance of fish and land prey such as the brown and artic hare as well several Finish native rodents. The abundance of wild berries also contributes to letting bird populations flourish. Theres near one hundred fish species found in Finnish waters. Fifty eight of which are considered native and residential. There variable temperature and salinity of the Finnish water makes the introduction of new species difficult, Nevertheless Finland is an ample fishing destination. Its natural landscape offers two gulfs, the Baltic Sea, and around one hundred rivers and thousands of lakes. Ice fishing during the winter is quite common in Finland. Finland has a unique marine and aquatic life. The Beluga whale is common off the Finnish coast as well as the harbor porpoise. The Bottle-nosed dolphin and grey dolphin are also found in Finnish waters.

http://molly.kalafut.org/mythology/Finnish/animals.html http://iberianature.com/wildworld/guides/wildlife-of-finland http://www.finlandinsider.com/Food-in-Finland.ht http://www.rktl.fi/julkaisut/j/419.html http://finland.fi/Public/default.aspx?contentid=160039&nodeid=41815&culture=en-US