Mammals of Finland

As one of Europe’s last wildernesses, Finland is home to healthy populations of large mammals such as the brown bear (the national animal), grey wolf, wolverine, elk (moose) and reindeer. Other common mammals include the red fox, red squirrel, and mountain hare, and interesting and exotic species like the flying squirrel, the Saimaa ringed seal and the Arctic fox.

Photo essays on Finnish mammals from Wild Europe

This guide to Finnish wildlife has been compiled from Wikipedia.

There are over 90 species of mammals 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.

Rodents of Finland

There are close to 30 species of rodents living throughout Finland. These include the widespread Muridae, such as the house mouse, brown rat and wood mouse which live throughout Europe, and the Norway lemming, which only lives in Scandinavia. Some were introduced there, and they include the muskrat and nutria among others.

  • House Mouse Mus musculus (common)
  • Brown Rat Rattus norvegicus (common)
  • Black Rat Rattus rattus (uncommon)
  • Wood Mouse Apodemus sylvaticus (common)
  • Striped Field Mouse Apodemus agrarius (common)
  • Yellow-necked Mouse Apodemus flavicollis (common)
  • Harvest Mouse Micromys minutus (common)
  • Common Vole Microtus arvalis (common)
  • Field Vole Microtus agrestis (common)
  • Tundra Vole Microtus oeconomus (common)
  • Southern Vole Microtus rossiaemeridionalis (common)
  • Water Vole Arvicola terrestris (common)
  • Bank Vole Clethrionomys glareolus (common)
  • Grey Red-backed Vole Clethrionomys rufocanus (common)
  • Northern Red-backed Vole Clethrionomys rutilus (common)
  • Norway Lemming Lemmus lemmus (common)
  • Wood Lemming Myopus schisticolor (uncommon)
  • Muskrat Ondatra zibethicus (common/introduced from North America)
  • Northern Birch Mouse Sicista betulina (common)
  • Hazel Dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius (uncommon)
  • Garden Dormouse Eliomys quercinus (rare)
  • Red Squirrel Sciurus vulgaris (common)
  • Siberian Chipmunk Pteromys volans (common/introduced from Siberia and other parts of Asia)
  • Alpine Marmot Marmota marmota (uncommon/introduced from central Europe)
  • European Ground Squirrel Spermophilus citellus (rare)
  • Siberian Flying Squirrel Pteromys volans (rare)
  • European Beaver Castor fiber (rare, though increasing)
  • Nutria Myocastor coypus (rare/introduced from South America)

Lagomorphs of Finland

There are 3 species of rabbits and hares 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)
  • Brown Hare Lepus europaeus (common)
  • Mountain Hare Lepus timidus (common)

Insectivores of Finland

There are 10 species of insectivore living in Finland. Eight of the ten are shrews, from the Common Shrew to the Water Shrew. Shrews are very common in the forests of Finland. A species of mole and a hedgehog are the remaining insectivores.

  • Common Shrew Sorex araneus (common)
  • Eurasian Least Shrew Sorex minutissimus (common)
  • Eurasian Pygmy Shrew Sorex minutus (common)
  • Taiga Shrew Sorex isodon (common)
  • Laxmann’s Shrew Sorex caecutiens (common)
  • Eurasian Water Shrew Neomys fodiens (common)
  • Lesser White-toothed Shrew Crocidura suaveolens (common)
  • Greater White-toothed Shrew Crocidura russula (common)
  • Western European Hedgehog Erinaceus europaeus (common)
  • European Mole Talpa europaea (common)

Bats of Finland

About 13 kinds of bat live in Finland.

  • Lesser Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus hipposideros (common)
  • Greater Horseshoe Bat Rhinolophus ferrumequinum (uncommon)
  • Common Noctule Nyctalus noctula (common)
  • Lesser Noctule Nyctalus leisleri (rare)
  • Daubenton’s Bat Myotis daubentonii (common)
  • Whiskered Bat Myotis mystacinus (common)
  • Natterer’s Bat Myotis nattereri (common)
  • Northern Bat Eptesicus nilssoni (common)
  • Common Pipistrelle Pipistrellus pipistrellus (common)
  • Savi’s Pipistrelle Hypsugo savii (common)
  • Brown Long-eared Bat Plecotus auritus (common)
  • Parti-colored Bat Vespertilio murinus (common)
  • European Free-tailed Bat Tadarida teniotis (common)

Carnivores of Finland

Around 15 species of carnivore are found in Finland. Many of the larger carnivores were or are still in danger of dying out. Other than Russia and some other eastern European countries, Finland is the last stronghold for Gray Wolves in Europe.

  • Least Weasel Mustela nivalis (common)
  • Ermine Mustela erminea (common)
  • European Polecat Mustela putorius (common)
  • European Mink Mustela lutreola (very rare)
  • Pine Marten Martes martes (common)
  • European Otter Lutra lutra (uncommon)
  • Eurasian Badger Meles meles (common)
  • Wolverine Gulo gulo (rare)
  • Red Fox Vulpes vulpes (common)
  • Arctic Fox Alopex lagopus (uncommon)
  • Raccoon Dog Nyctereutes procyonoides (common/introduced from Asia)
  • Gray Wolf Canis lupus (rare)
  • Eurasian Lynx Lynx lynx (rare)
  • Brown Bear Ursus arctos (uncommon)

Pinnipeds of Finland

Pinnipeds includes all the Seals, Sea Lions, and the Walrus. 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. The Saimaa Ringed Seal is a subspecies of Ringed 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.

  • Harbor Seal Phoca vitulina (common)
  • Ringed Seal Pusa hispida (uncommon)
  • Gray Seal Halichoerus grypus (common)
  • Harp Seal Pagophilus groenlandicus (common)

Artiodactyls of Finland

The order of Artiodactyl 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.

  • Wild Boar Sus Scrofa (common)
  • Roe Deer Capreolus capreolus (common)
  • White-tailed Deer Odocoileus virginanus (common/introduced from North America)
  • Fallow Deer Dama dama (uncommon/introduced from other parts of Europe)
  • Red Deer Cervus elaphus (very rare/became extinct but recently spreading from Sweden)
  • Reindeer Rangifer rangifer (common)
  • Moose Alces alces (common)
  • European Bison Bison bonasus (rare/recently reintroduced from Poland)
  • Mouflon Ovis musimon (rare/introduced from central Europe)
  • Musk Ox Ovibos moschatus (very rare/recently reintroduced from Greenland)

Cetaceans of Finland

This order includes all the whales, toothed whales, and dolphins of the different waters. Since they live in the ocean and travel a lot, it is hard to tell exactly how many species there are. There are probably about 8, most which live in the Arctic Ocean, off Finland’s northern coast.

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