15 Wild Animals in Finland [Wildlife in Finland]

Learn All About Finnish Animals

Ready to learn all about Finnish animals?

I’ve always been fascinated by animals, and by how they can be so different from one country to another. In this guide, we’ll focus on the many animals Finland has on the land, in the sky, and underwater.

I’ve split the guide into 4 categories:

• Native animals from Finland
• Endangered animals of Finland
• What is the national animal of Finland?
• How many animals native to Finland?

Let’s dive in right away with our first category!

Native Animals from Finland

Finland is a European country located in the northeastern part of the continent. It is a member of the European Union, a Nordic country, and it has 2 official languages: Finnish and Swedish. It is bordered by Russia, Sweden, and Norway, and its capital and largest city is Helsinki, which counts more than 658,000 inhabitants (but more than 1,536,000 if you include the metropolitan area).

An interesting part of the country that I wanted to tackle is its wildlife. In light of that, I have listed the best of it, and I hope you will love learning what animals live in Finland.

Here’s the Finland animals list.

1. Reindeer

• Name: Reindeer
• Scientific name: Rangifer tarandus
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

What better way to start this list than with the reindeer, an emblem of northern countries in the world. This species of deer is native to the coldest regions such as the Arctic, subarctic, mountainous, boreal, and tundra.

While its size varies depending on the subspecies, it is generally a large animal, and it is hunted by Arctic people for food, shelter, and clothing. Its antlers grow annually in both males and females.

2. Great cormorant

• Name: Great cormorant
• Scientific name: Phalacrocorax carbo
• Conservation status: Least concern

The great cormorant, also known as the large cormorant, the black shag, or the black cormorant, is a species of seabird of the cormorant family. It is widespread, as it can be found on every continent. Usually, it breeds in Eurasia, Australia, and western North America.

Believe it or not, cormorant fishing is a thing: some specialized fishermen train great cormorants to catch fish for them. To make sure the bird does not eat its catch, they tie a line around its throat.

3. White-tailed eagle

• Name: White-tailed eagle
• Scientific name: Haliaeetus albicilla
• Conservation status: Least concern

The white-tailed eagle, also known as the ern, the Eurasian sea eagle, or the gray sea eagle, is a very large species of sea eagle native to most of Eurasia. Even though it is very widely spread (from Greenland to Japan), it is rare and sparsely distributed.

Human activities are the main threat to the white-tailed eagle: because of accidental poisonings, habitat loss, pollution, and pesticides, this species might very well be more and more endangered in the near future.

4. Snowy owl

• Name: Snowy owl
• Scientific name: Bubo scandiacus
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

With the eagle comes the owl, and what an iconic species there is in Finland. The snowy owl, also known as the white owl, the Arctic owl, or the polar owl, is a large species of owl native to the Arctic regions of the planet.

Prominently present in the “Harry Potter” saga, this bird species is active during the day, especially in the summertime, opposite to most owls. It feeds on whatever is available, from small mammals to carrion and other birds.

5. Smooth snake

• Name: Smooth snake
• Scientific name: Coronella austriaca
• Conservation status: Least concern

Because of how cold Finland is, very few reptiles are present, and the smooth snake is one of them. This non-venomous snake species can be found in most of Europe and into western Asia, and it mostly feeds on other reptiles.

It gets its name from its unusually flat scales over its body: while they are keeled on other snakes, these flat scales give the snake its smooth texture when touched.

6. Wolverine

• Name: Wolverine
• Scientific name: Gulo gulo
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

The wolverine, also known as the glutton, the carcajou, or the quickhatch, is a species of mustelid. It is the largest terrestrial mustelid in the world, and is surprisingly muscular: it can, and will, attack larger enemies such as lynxes, wolves, reindeer, and even elks!

However, this animal is mostly a scavenger that feeds on carrion. It will either steal the carcass from another predator, feed on it after the others are done, or find it itself.

7. Arctic fox

• Name: Arctic fox
• Scientific name: Vulpes lagopus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Arctic fox, also known as the snow fox, the polar fox, or the white fox, similarly to the Arctic owl, is a species of small fox native to the Arctic regions of the Northern Hemisphere. Throughout its range, the Arctic tundra biome, it is quite common, and it is perfectly invisible in the middle of the snow thanks to its thick, warm white fur.

The diet of this fox is mostly made of small mammals, birds, and fish, but it will occasionally feed on berries, insects, and carrion.

8. Gray seal

• Name: Gray seal
• Scientific name: Halichoerus grypus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The gray seal, also known as the horsehead seal or the Atlantic seal, is a species of seal that can be found on the shores of the North Atlantic Ocean, as well as in the Baltic Sea. It is a large species that can reach lengths of up to 2.3 m / 7 ft 7 in.

This seal lives in very large colonies, and some of them are popular tourist attractions.

9. Moose

• Name: Moose
• Scientific name: Alces alces
• Conservation status: Least concern

The moose, also known as the elk, is the largest and heaviest species of deer in the world. While adult males have characteristic broad, large antlers, females are much smaller and have lighter coats.

This animal lives in temperate and boreal forests of the Northern Hemisphere and feeds on terrestrial and aquatic vegetation. Unlike other deer, it is a solitary animal that gets chased away by its mother at the age of 18 months.

10. Eurasian spoonbill

• Name: Eurasian spoonbill
• Scientific name: Platalea leucorodia
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Eurasian spoonbill, also known as the common spoonbill, is a species of wading bird of the spoonbill and ibis family native to Europe, Africa, and Asia. Just like other spoonbills, this species uses the sides of its peculiar beak to filter out the shrimps and tiny fish it feeds on.

The biggest threats to the Eurasian spoonbill are habitat loss and pollution. Human activities such as fishing are also serious problems.

11. European badger

• Name: European badger
• Scientific name: Meles meles
• Conservation status: Least concern

The European badger is a species of badger native to almost all of Europe. It has a large, stable population and a very wide range, which is why it is considered of least concern. However, it is still threatened by parasites and diseases, as well as hunting.

In European folklore and literature, the European badger plays a significant role: it is portrayed as a cautious, peaceful animal that loves the comfort of its home, but will not hesitate to be aggressive when threatened.

12. Eurasian lynx

• Name: Eurasian lynx
• Scientific name: Lynx lynx
• Conservation status: Least concern

The Eurasian lynx is a medium-sized species of wild cat native to the northern parts of Europe and Asia, as well as the Tibetan Plateau, the Himalayas, and the Caucasus Mountains. Very shy and elusive, it hides in the heights of the mountains in temperate and boreal forests.

When it comes to hunting, the Eurasian lynx stalks and sneaks on its prey. When the snow comes and less shelter is available, it is forced to hunt larger prey. With its fantastic strength, hearing, and vision, it is a dreadful predator.

13. Gray wolf

• Name: Gray wolf
• Scientific name: Canis lupus
• Conservation status: Least concern

The gray wolf is easily one of the most iconic animals in all of Europe. Native to Eurasia and North America, it is an organized pack hunter and a large species of canine.

On top of this, the gray wolf has had one of the longest histories of human interactions out of any animal. Sometimes despised, sometimes feared, it is a very important part of the culture, and its presence dates back to Antiquity.

14. Harbor porpoise

Erik Christensen / CC BY-SA

• Name: Harbor porpoise
• Scientific name: Phocoena phocoena
• Conservation status: Vulnerable

The harbor porpoise is a species of porpoise native to the coastlines of the Northern Hemisphere. As its name suggests, it stays very close to the shore. Therefore, it is a target of choice for whale watchers: easily seen in river estuaries and coastal areas, it even ventures up rivers and has already been seen hundreds of kilometers from the sea.

What makes the harbor porpoise so unique is also its demise: because of its proximity to the coastline, it is seriously threatened by human activities, such as hunting, overfishing, climate change, and pollution.

15. Montagu’s harrier

• Name: Montagu’s harrier
• Scientific name: Circus pygargus
• Conservation status: Least concern

Montagu’s harrier is a species of migratory bird of prey native to Europe. It breeds in western Europe and western Asia, can be seen in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Europe, and lives in Africa.

This harrier has a uniquely graceful flight, with elegant and powerful wingbeats that give an impression of ease. Just like other harriers, it flies low and holds its wings in a positive dihedral.

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So there you have them, these were my 15 Finland wild animals. I hope you enjoyed this list and that you learned something new today.

In case you want to learn more about Finnish wildlife, feel free to keep reading, as I still have lots of things to tell you about:

Endangered Animals of Finland

This is definitely the saddest part of the list, but it is very important to raise awareness. Because of this, let’s go through the list of endangered animals in Finland.

Here are the animals in danger of extinction in Finland.

Extinct in the wild

• None

Critically endangered

• Yellow-breasted bunting
• Sociable lapwing
• European mink
• European eel
• Coregonus trybomi

Endangered

• Steppe eagle
• Egyptian vulture
• Saker falcon
• Pallas’s fish-eagle

To see the full list of endangered species in Finland, head over to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List.

What is the National Animal of Finland?

Finland national animal is the brown bear.

The brown bear is a large species of bear native to most of Eurasia and North America (where it is called a grizzly bear). It is one of the largest species of a terrestrial carnivore on the planet, being only rivaled by the polar bear, its closest relative.

Interestingly enough, the brown bear has long been part of the culture and the folklore of Europe and North America, and it is often seen in children’s literature.

How Many Animals Native to Finland?

What is the diversity of native animals in Finland?

Let’s look at the total number of species of Chordata (mammals, birds, fishes, and reptiles).

Total number of animal species in Finland: 591 (3,149 in total in Europe)

More About Animals in the World!

Loved these Finland wildlife facts? Want to see what animals live in other countries?

Then check out these posts:

• Wild Animals in Sweden
• Wild Animals in Norway
• Wild Animals in Denmark
• Wild Animals in Iceland

Or click here to see ALL the facts up on the blog! Spoiler alert: there’s A LOT of them.

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