Mammals in South Savo

The elk (in Eurasia) or moose (in North America) is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult male moose have distinctive broad, palmate (“open-hand shaped”) antlers; most other members of the deer family have antlers with a dendritic (“twig-like”) configuration. Moose typically inhabit boreal forests and temperate broadleaf and mixed forests of the Northern Hemisphere in temperate to subarctic climates.

The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is the largest predator in Europe. It eats a mixed diet, uses carcasses for food and preys on large deer animals. When snow is on the ground, the bear is in hibernation. The brown bear is Finland’s national animal. For ancient Finns the bear was a feared yet revered and respected animal. The importance of the bear in the minds of ancient Finns is demonstrated by the fact that there are over 200 different names for the bear in Finnish language. [Read more]

The lynx (Lynx lynx) is the only wild feline in Finland. As a typical cat, it is the most consummate predator amongst all large carnivores. Its diet consists almost exclusively of mammals and birds. In the olden days, any talk about the lynx was likely to focus on its valuable fur. [Read more]

The wolf (Canis lupus) is a mammal of the canine family. Biologically speaking, it is the same species as the domestic dog. The wolf is the largest canine living in the wild. Out of all the northern predators, the wolf is the most social species that prefers to live in packs formed by family units. Wolves communicate with each other via postures, gestures, facial expressions, scent marks and howling. [Read more]

Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica. The most common and widespread species of fox is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) with about 47 recognized subspecies. The global distribution of foxes, together with their widespread reputation for cunning, has contributed to their prominence in popular culture and folklore in many societies around the world. [Read more]

Badgers have rather short, wide bodies, with short legs for digging. They have elongated, weasel-like heads with small ears. Their tails vary in length depending on species; the stink badger has a very short tail, while the ferret-badger’s tail can be 46–51 cm (18–20 in) long, depending on age. They have black faces with distinctive white markings, grey bodies with a light-coloured stripe from head to tail, and dark legs with light-coloured underbellies. They grow to around 90 cm (35 in) in length including tail. [Read more]

Beavers are the second-largest living rodents after the capybaras. They have stout bodies with large heads, long chisel-like incisors, brown or gray fur, hand-like front feet, webbed back feet and flat, scaly tails. The Eurasian beaver has a more elongated skull with a more triangular nasal bone opening, lighter fur color and a narrower tail. The animals can be found in a number of freshwater habitats, such as rivers, streams, lakes and ponds. [Read more] Opposite the cottage, on the other side of the lake is a beaver lodge.

The wolverine (Gulo gulo) is the largest representative of the weasel family. The future of the wolverine depends on the success of other large carnivores, especially the wolf, because the wolverine is primarily a scavenger. It prefers to look for something to eat rather than something to hunt. [Read more]

The Saimaa Ringed Seal (Pusa hispida saimensis) is one of the rarest seals in the world. Around 410 seals remain in Lake Saimaa, Finland. There is still plenty of work to be done to protect this species that remains on the verge of extinction. [Read more]

Hedgehogs are easily recognized by their spines, which are hollow hairs made stiff with keratin. Their spines are not poisonous or barbed and, unlike the quills of a porcupine, do not easily detach from their bodies. However, the immature animal’s spines normally fall out as they are replaced with adult spines. This is called “quilling”. Spines can also shed when the animal is diseased or under extreme stress. Hedgehogs are usually brown, with pale tips to the spines.

The squirrel is 20 to 28 centimeters long and 250 to 350 grams in weight. The bushy bushy tail is from 15 to 20 centimeters long. It is an omnivore, which belongs to the rodents.
Usually the animals are reddish brown with a white belly, in winter more greyish dark brown. The color also becomes more grayish as the squirrel ages. The ear tufts are especially noticeable in winter. A squirrel can put up the hairs on the bushy tail.

The stoat is related to the weasel and is very similar, but the stoat is heavier. He has an elongated body. The coat is chestnut brown in color, with a yellowish white ventral side and a black tail tip. The stoat has a summer and a winter coat. In summer the fur is reddish brown, in winter it is white. In the north of the range the fur becomes completely white (with the exception of the black tail tip), but in areas further south it becomes only partially white.