Finnish Fauna Has Flair Trivia Quiz

Answer: lichens

Finland is home to two subspecies of reindeer, the common or mountain reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) and the rare Finnish forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus). Mountain reindeer, which live mainly on the open tundra, are semi-domesticated, and extremely important for the economy and culture of the Sámi people, the indigenous inhabitants of Lapland, who use these animals for transportation, as well as their meat, milk, hides, and antlers.

Forest reindeer, on the other hand, are found in the boreal forests of the Finnish regions of Savonia, Kainuu and North Karelia, close to the Russian border, as well as in Russian Karelia (which was part of Finland until WWII). Larger than mountain reindeer, forest reindeer have been successfully reintroduced to parts of the country from which they had disappeared. Compared to mountain reindeer, forest reindeer have smaller antlers and longer legs, which help them to move through the forest and in deep snow. This rare animal is called "metsäpeura" in Finnish, while the name for domesticated reindeer is "poro".

During the long, cold northern winters, reindeer eat lichens, which they are able to metabolize and digest because of specialized enzymes and bacteria in their gut. One species of particularly cold-hardy lichen, Cladonia rangiferina, or reindeer lichen, gets its name from these animals' dietary habits. During the summer, they also eat leaves, grasses, and mushrooms.

Answer: they are a serious road hazard

The European moose, or elk (Alces alces alces), is now mostly found in Scandinavia and parts of Eastern Europe. The Finnish population of this animal, Europe's second-largest herbivore after with the heavier European bison, counts over 100,000 individuals. In spite of their impressive size, European moose are smaller than the huge Alaska moose (Alces alces gigas). They are mainly forest dwellers, adapted to the severe northern winters.

Though bull moose can become aggressive towards humans, especially during the mating season, moose definitely do not go around attacking people in their homes, nor do they do not pose a threat to crops; their meat is perfectly edible, and considered a delicacy. However, in Finland as well as in many of the other countries where these very large animals occur, they pose a danger to road traffic. Collisions between moose and cars can frequently prove fatal to humans: to prevent these accidents, fences have been built along some roads, and a vehicle test ("moose test") has been developed. Moose are also popular game animals, and every year in Finland permits are given out as a means to keep population numbers down.

A moose appears on the coat of arms of the municipalities of Mäntsälä and Hirvensalmi ("moose strait", "hirvi" being the Finnish name of this animal).

Answer: False

The largest subspecies of brown bear is the Kodiak bear (Ursus arctos middendorffii), found only on the archipelago of the same name, off the coast of Alaska. The bears found in Finland belong to the type species, the Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos), which is considerably smaller. While a fully-grown male Eurasian brown bear can weigh up to 480 kg (1,058 lb), the heaviest recorded Kodiak bear weighed 751 kg (1,656 lb).

About 1,500 brown bears live in Finland today, mostly in the regions close to the Russian border. Wary of humans, they are generally not as dangerous to people as their North American relatives, grizzly bears, and fatal attacks are extremely rare. Brown bears have been protected since 1999, and can be hunted only when the animals become a nuisance.

A totemic animal for the ancient Finno-Ugric peoples, the brown bear {"karhu") is mentioned about 60 times in the "Kalevala", the Finnish national epic. As the bear's real name was taboo, various euphemisms were used to refer to it, such as "otso" ("browed one"), "kontio" ("dweller of the land"), and "mesikämmen" ("mead-paw"). A crowned, sword-wielding brown bear appears on the coat of arms of the western region of Satakunta - whose capital, Pori, is called "Björneborg" ("bear-fortress") in Swedish.

Answer: white-tailed deer

The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is one of Finland's four large predators - the others being the brown bear, the wolf, and the wolverine. In the 1930s, lynxes were close to extinction in Finland and the rest of Scandinavia. The population of this beautiful, mid-sized wild cat slowly started to rebound in the early 1960: now it is believed to be larger than it ever was, with over 2,000 specimens present throughout the country. Because of that, hunting lynxes is permitted, though strictly regulated: females with cubs under one year old are always protected.

Like other cat species, the lynx is mainly active at dawn and dusk; it often preys on ungulates, which provide larger quantities of food, especially during the winter. Though Finnish lynxes are smaller than their Siberian counterparts, they are not afraid to tackle larger animals such as wild boar, reindeer, roe deer, and white-tailed deer, a species native of North America that has thrived in Finland since it was first introduced there in 1935. During the warmer summer months, lynxes also hunt rodents, lagomorphs, and birds.

A lynx appears on the coat of arms of the region of Tavastia Proper (Kanta-Häme), in southwestern Finland. One of the three ice hockey teams based in Tampere, one of the largest Finnish cities, is called "Ilves", the Finnish word for lynx.

Answer: stoat

A native of the Northern Hemisphere, the stoat (Mustela erminea) is a small, slender mustelid whose summer coat is brown on the head and back, and white on the belly. The northern subspecies of this animal (Mustela erminea erminea), found in Finland and the rest of Scandinavia, sheds its summer fur in autumn, when the days grow shorter, and changes into a beautiful, snow-white winter coat (except for the black tail tip) with a dense, silky texture. This colouring provides camouflage from predators (especially birds of prey) on the snowy ground. In the past, the ermine's luxurious fur was a true status symbol, worn by royalty, popes and cardinals, and commanded very high prices.

In Finland, ermines ("kärppä") occur throughout the country. They are still hunted in abundance, in spite of their usefulness in controlling the rodent population. Six running (courant) ermines appear on the coat of arms of Ostrobothnia (Pohjanmaa), one of Finland's historical provinces, which once included a large part of central and northern Finland. The coat of arms of the modern region of the same name, located on the west coast, across the Bothnian Sea from Sweden, boasts four running ermines.

Answer: Saimaa

The Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis) is one of three freshwater seals - the others being the Baikal seal and the closely related Ladoga seal. This unique animal - threatened with extinction even though numbers have increased in recent times - lives in the waters of Lake Saimaa, the largest of the many thousands of lakes found in Finnish territory, located in the southeastern part of the country. This pinniped ("norppa") takes its common name from the ring-shaped markings on its body; the subspecies developed separately from the main species after the last ice age.

The Saimaa ringed seal likes to bask in the sun for hours, lying on the rocks on the lake shore to dry its fur. They give birth in lairs built deep inside snowdrifts - a habit that has been increasingly threatened by climate change. Fishing nets pose another threat to these rare creatures, as pups can become entangled in them and drown. The Saimaa ringed seal has been protected since 1955; the few hundred remaining specimens (about 400 at the time of writing) live for the most part in the national parks of Kolovesi and Linnansaari.

None of the three lakes listed as wrong answers are located in Finland: Vänern is in Sweden, Ladoga in Russia, and Balaton in Hungary.

Answer: capercaillie

A native of Eurasia, the capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) is the largest member of the grouse family (Phasianidae). This ground-dwelling species is distinguished by its extreme sexual dimorphism: males are almost twice as large as females, and can reach a weight of over 7 kg (15.4 lb). Capercaillie cocks are nearly black in colour, with iridescent green breast feathers; their courting displays involve fanning out their tail feathers, pointing their beak skywards, and "singing". During the mating season, these birds can become rather combative, and chase off any interlopers (including people). Capercaillies are not good fliers because of their heavy bodies and short wings; they feed mainly on blueberries in the summer, and conifer needles in the winter.

In Finland, the capercaillie ("metso") is found in the forested areas of most parts of the country. Though a popular game bird, often hunted as a trophy, in some parts of the country hunting has been restricted because of dwindling numbers; the Finnish population, however, is healthy if compared to that of the UK, where these birds are at risk of extinction. The capercaillie appears on the coat of arms of the region of Central Finland (Keski-Suomi).

The name "capercaillie" comes from Scottish Gaelic, and means "horse of the wood". All the incorrect answers are names of birds.

Answer: great grey owl

A denizen of the conifer forests of central and northern Finland, the great grey owl (Strix nebulosa lapponica) is a striking bird, with the largest facial disc of any owl species, and dark concentric circles around its eyes. Females, which are larger than males, have an average length of 72 cm (28 in), but can reach lengths of over 80 cm (31.4 in) - the longest of any owl species. However, these birds weigh considerably less than other two large species, the Eurasian eagle-owl and Blakiston's fish owl. Great grey owls look stouter than they actually are because of their thick, fluffy plumage, which insulates them from the cold.

Great grey owls primarily hunt rodents, helped in locating prey by their excellent hearing. They do not build nests, but use nests abandoned by other large birds. Their young are occasionally preyed upon by other owl species, such as the great horned owl and the Eurasian eagle-owl (which is the only animal that preys on adult great grey owls). The nickname of "Phantom of the North" stems from this bird's quiet, elusive nature, as well as their grey colouring. In Finnish, it is called "Lapinpöllö", meaning "Lapland owl", though it is also found further south.

The three owl species listed as wrong answers also occur in Finland.

Answer: whooper swan

The whooper swan, or common swan ("laulujoutsen") is a native of Eurasia; its North American counterpart is the trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator), which is the largest species of waterfowl. Another difference between these two swans is the colour of their bill: yellow and black in the whooper swan, solid black in the trumpeter swan. The whistling swan, a subspecies of the tundra swan found in North America, also has a black bill, while the mute swan's is orange and black.

A powerful flier in spite of its large size, the whooper swan breeds during the warm summer months, then migrates south to Western Europe or the Black Sea for the winter. In the early 20th century, the whooper swan was nearly extinct in Finland, with only a few individuals living in the remote areas of the north. Thanks to the efforts of writer and veterinarian Yrjö Kokko who, in the 1950s, wrote two books dedicated to these beautiful birds, interest was rekindled in them, and now the country is home to about 6,000 whooper swans. Because of their heavy weight, these birds need to be close to large areas of water - such as lakes or swamps - where they can swim rather than walk.

The whooper swan has been Finland's national bird since 1981. A pair of whooper swans in flight is depicted on the Finnish 1 euro coin.

Answer: pike

Commonly found in the rivers and lakes (and occasionally also in brackish waters) of the Northern Hemisphere, the pike, or northern pike (Esox lucius), is armed with sharp, backward-pointing teeth; its feeding habits are reminiscent of those of crocodiles - including cannibalism, as wonderfully described in a poem dedicated to this creature by English poet Ted Hughes. An ambush predator, capable of lightning speed, this fish is named after the pole weapon commonly used by infantry in the Late Middle Ages because of its elongated body and pointed head.

In Finland, the pike ("hauki") is highly prized by anglers because of its size (it can grow to a length of 1.5 m/59 in) and delicate (though somewhat bony) flesh. Being able to catch a pike weighing at least 10 kg (22 lb) is the hallmark of a master fisherman. Three pikes appear on the coat of arms of the town of Haukipudas ("pike river-branch"), in Northern Ostrobothnia.

In Canto 40 of the "Kalevala", the poem's main character - the wise old shaman Väinämöinen - builds the first "kantele" (the traditional Finnish harp) from the jawbone of a giant pike.