The+Saimaa+ringed+seal

Saimaa ringed seal

(C) Juha Taskinen/WWF

The Saimaa ringed seal is one of the most endangered seals on earth. The species got trapped in lake Saimaa 8000 years ago when Saimaa got separated from the Baltic Sea. That's why the do not live everywhere else than in lake Saimaa. They have bigger brains and eyes because they had to adjust to the dark and muddy water.

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The Saimaa ringed seal is approximately 130-145 cm tall and can weigh from 50 to 90 kg. They have a dark grey fur coat with lighter ring-like patterns. Their life expectancy is about 20 years but these days it is hard for an individual to last for that long.

The population is threatened by many things. For example global warming, fishing, and environmental toxins are serious issues. Increasing amounts of mercury and other pollutions make it difficult for the seals to reproduce and global warming makes it difficult for the pups to survive winters. It is crucial for their survival to have cold wintes with snow and ice. Big fishing nets are dangerous and they cause a lot of damage especially if a female seal gets trapped and injured because there are only about 70 individuals that can give birth. The Saimaa ringed seal eats mainly fish, so fishing also reduces their food supply.



(C) Juha Takinen/ WWF

The Saimaa ringed seal is about to be extinguished in the northern part of Saimaa and the situation is alarming also in the southern end of the lake. Today there are about 270 Saimaa riged seals in total. Luckily WWF started protecting the species in 1997, which has helped a lot. There are also several other organisations that help for example with counting the seals, their pups and their living spaces. Regulations have been made concerning fishing, which forbids net fishing between 15.4.–30.6.

Rosa & Eevi

http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saimaannorppa http://www.wwf.fi/ymparisto/uhanalaiset_lajit/kotimaiset/saimaannorppa.html http://www.vihrealanka.fi/node/3265