This is a list of thefauna of Finland. Finland bordersSweden to the west,Russia to the east, andNorway to the north, whileEstonia lies to its south across theGulf of Finland, allowing an ecological mix. Finland contains many species of mammals, birds, and fish, but only a few reptiles and amphibians. This article discusses all thevertebrate animals which can be found on Finland itself, not the oceans.
There are over 90 species ofmammals found in Finland and the surrounding oceans. Some were introduced from other countries in Europe, as well as other continents, such as Asia and North America. Rodents and shrews are most common in Finland.
There are close to 30 species ofrodents living throughout Finland. These include the widespreadMuridae, such as the house mouse, brown rat and wood mouse which live throughout Europe, and the Norway lemming, which only lives inScandinavia. Some were introduced there, and they include the muskrat and nutria among others.
There are 3 species ofrabbits andhares found in Finland. The common rabbit spread there from central Europe. It is now found in practically all of Europe. The other two species are hares.
European rabbit,Oryctolagus cuniculus (common/spread from central Europe)
There are 10 species ofinsectivore living in Finland. Eight of the ten are shrews, from thecommon shrew to theEurasian water shrew.Shrews are very common in the forests of Finland. A species of mole and one of hedgehog are the remaining insectivores.
Pinnipeds includes all the seals,sea lions, and thewalrus. Four pinnipeds are native to Finland year round (most living on the northern coast), but other species, such as the walrus, may migrate there during certain times of the year. TheSaimaa ringed seal is asubspecies ofringed seal native exclusively to Finland and is a famous animal there, though it is also one of the most endangered seal subspecies in the world.
The order ofArtiodactyl includes all even-hooved mammals. There are about 10 species that can be found in Finland. Many species have been either introduced or reintroduced there.
This order includes all thewhales,toothed whales, anddolphins of the different waters. Finland does not have any large Cetacean species within its territories. Finland's only coast is on the baltic sea which is home to theharbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) which is the smallest of the dolphin species in the world's oceans. However, the population of harbour porpoise in the Baltic Sea has dropped dramatically since the mid-1950s and is now at under 500. The top current threats for Baltic harbour porpoise are bycatch in fisheries, environmental toxins mostly from the Swedish paper industry and anthropogenic noise.
There are around 340 different kinds of birds all over Finland, from the cold north, to the temperate south. Most are native all year, but some species migrate to warmer areas during the winter. Like mammals, some of Finlands birds have been introduced.
Albatrosses andpetrels are two of the four families of marine diving birds that make up this order. Some of them look similar tosea gulls, but are found further out at sea. They live mostly off the coasts of Finland.
Herons andstorks are just two of the better known families in this order, which contains a total of six families. All are wading birds who generally have predatory characteristics.
This order contains the ducks, geese, and swans. All are in a single family, which is very large and has species from all over the world. Finland has many species.
There are 12 families in this order, which contains wading and ground birds.Cranes, rails, andbustards are the larger of the families, and contain members living in Finland.
This is a large order which contains many kinds of semi-aquatic and coastal birds. Plovers, sandpipers, gulls, and puffins are some of the members of the order. They all occur in Finland.
This family of birds is unique in that the mother bird may lay her eggs in another species nest, and have that female take care of her young. Only one species is found in Finland.
Owls are considered nocturnal birds of prey. They hunt and are mostly active during the night. Two families, the owls and barn owls, make up this order.
