Mammals in Viikki

Many species of mammals inhabit the Viikki area. Most of these are nocturnal, however, and thus not as visible to an occasional visitor than the abundant bird life. During your daytime visit to Viikki-Vanhankaupunginlahti bay you may quite easily spot brown hares, hedgehogs or squirrels. Muskrats build their conical nest mounds close to shore and can be seen busily swimming around them. If you move around in Viikki in dawn or dusk, you can try to spot the fox, as they are common in the area. Of the larger mammals, elks pay an occasional visit, as do white-tailed deer.

Smaller mammals, although plentiful in numbers, are more difficult to observe. The short-tailed vole, the common red-backed vole, the yellow-necked field mouse and the common shrew are all widespread in Viikki. If the year is good for voles and they reproduce well, small beasts of pray, such as ermines and weasels, multiply as well. Small Northern bats can be seen during summer season, most likely in Lammassaari. 

Two introduced species of mammals, the indigenous Asian raccoon dog and the American mink, have both found a suitable habitat in Vanhankaupunginlahti bay area and have increased in numbers quite quickly. This is harmful for the waterfowl nesting at the nature reserve, as these ‘pests’ eagerly eat eggs and young. To prevent extensive damage, minks and raccoon dogs are regularly trapped in Viikki. 

An excursionist will get the best picture of Viikki’s mammals during wintertime. Badgers hibernate in their coves, but raccoon dogs, which hibernate as well, are encountered from time to time. Fox’s pointed tracks are often seen in newly fallen snow on the frozen sea and by the reeds. Raccoon dog’s tracks are distinctively rounder and smaller in size. Minks eagerly fish at the rapids. Common otters have frequently visited the bay in recent years leaving their tracks by the open water. You can look for the traces of the otter around the Vanhankaupunginlahti rapid.

 >List of species