Brown bear: National Animal of Finland

Why it represents the country

Finland chose its national animal by public vote. In 1985 the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation asked people to pick a national animal. About 23,000 people took part, and the brown bear won clearly, ahead of the seal in second place. Finland's national bird, the whooper swan, and its national fish, the perch, are also popular choices. None of these symbols is set by law.

The bear has a special place in Finnish culture. In old times people often avoided saying the bear's real name and used respectful nicknames instead, such as otso or mesikämmen, which means honey paw. The bear appears in folk poetry, place names, family names and the emblems of many towns, clubs and companies.

The bear also stands for the great Finnish forests. Finland is one of the most heavily forested countries in Europe, and the bear, as the largest predator living there, is a reminder of the wild nature that still covers much of the country.

About the animal

The brown bear is a large, powerful animal with a thick brown coat, a hump of muscle over the shoulders and long claws for digging. European brown bears are smaller than some bears in North America and far eastern Russia. In Finland adult males are much heavier than females, and a big male may weigh a few hundred kilograms, especially in autumn, when bears are at their fattest.

Although it is a predator, the brown bear eats mostly plants and insects. In Finland bears eat grasses and other plants in spring, ants and other insects in summer, and huge amounts of berries in late summer and autumn, such as bilberries, lingonberries and crowberries. They also eat carrion and sometimes catch young moose or reindeer calves.

Bears are mostly solitary. Each one wanders over a large home range, and males travel the farthest. They are usually shy of people and avoid them, and most Finns who spend time in the forest never meet a bear.

In winter bears go into a deep sleep in a den, often dug under a fallen tree or into an anthill or a slope. In northern Finland they may stay in the den for up to about half the year. Cubs are born there in the middle of winter, tiny and nearly hairless, and they feed on their mother's milk until spring. The cubs usually stay with her for about a year and a half.

Conservation

The brown bear is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. It still lives across a large part of Europe, Asia and North America, although in many countries it has disappeared or survives only in small groups.

In Finland bears were hunted heavily in the past and became rare in much of the country. Legal protection, managed hunting and large areas of forest have since allowed bears to return, and they are now found across much of Finland, especially in the east and north. Researchers track bear numbers each year using sightings, tracks and other observations.

Living with bears still takes care. Bears sometimes kill sheep or damage beehives, and they occasionally come close to villages. Finnish wildlife agencies give advice on how to behave if you meet a bear and how to keep livestock and bees safe. The aim is to keep a healthy bear population while keeping conflicts with people low.

Fun facts

• In the 1985 vote for Finland's national animal, the brown bear beat the seal, which came second.
• Finns traditionally used respectful nicknames for the bear, such as mesikämmen, meaning honey paw.
• Bear cubs are born in the winter den while their mother is still in her deep winter rest.

Frequently asked questions

What is the national animal of Finland?

The national animal of Finland is the brown bear (a widely recognized national symbol, not set by law). It is the largest predator in Finland's forests, a powerful animal with a thick brown coat that nevertheless eats mostly plants and insects.

Which country has the brown bear as its national animal?

The brown bear is the national animal of Finland. The same species is also the national animal of Mongolia and Russia.

Why is the brown bear the national animal of Finland?

In 1985 the newspaper Helsingin Sanomat and the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation asked people to pick a national animal, and the brown bear won clearly among about 23,000 participants, ahead of the seal. The bear has a special place in Finnish culture, from respectful nicknames such as otso and mesikämmen (honey paw) to folk poetry and town emblems, and it stands for Finland's great forests.

Is the brown bear endangered?

The brown bear is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List. In Finland bears were once hunted heavily and became rare, but legal protection, managed hunting and large areas of forest have allowed them to return across much of the country.

Where does the brown bear live?

Large coniferous and mixed forests, bogs and wild areas.

What is the national bird of Finland?

The national bird of Finland is the whooper swan (a widely recognized national symbol, not set by law). The whooper swan became Finland's national bird through public polls run by the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation and partners.

See also: Most Popular Dog Breeds in Finland (2025)

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Sources

• Yle. Finland’s national animal, bird and fish.
• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Ursus arctos (assessment 2017).
• thisisFINLAND (Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland) - Iconic Finnish nature symbols stand out.
• Yle - Finland's national animal, bird and fish.
• Animal Diversity Web: Cygnus cygnus (whooper swan).
• Suomen luonnonsuojeluliitto (Finnish Association for Nature Conservation) - Kielo on Suomen kansalliskukka (1996, archived).
• thisisFINLAND - Iconic Finnish nature symbols stand out.
• Conservation status: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species.