#saimaa ringed real

[leafcreature]

❄️ ORPHAN ❄️

I’ve always wanted to paint a seal after living in Finland !

Finland’s biggest lake is home to one of the rarest seals in the world called Saimaannorppa. They have lived in complete isolation from other seal groups ever since the land rose during ice age and they became trapped into lake Saimaa. This caused them to evolve into a different subspecies, endemic to this lake!

The Saimaa ringed seal is also one of the most endangered seals in the world; around 400-500 seals remain in the lake today.

🌜 Closeups under the cut, along with a little talk about the symbols I used this painting! 🌛

I wanted the frame to contain plants and animals from the saimaa seal’s natural habitat as well as some symbolic elements.

🌿 I made sure to choose freshwater plants and fish because they live in a lake!

As for the symbols, you will recognise two animals from often overlooked constellations of the northern sky:

🐱 the lynx who appears in some northern mythologies & is said to be a bearer of clairvoyance due to its powerful eyesight.

🦊 the mythical creature tulikettu, a fox whose tail twinkles fire. When running through the night it leaves behind a trail of light, creating the northern lights (in finnish, revontulet, the fox fires)

Lastly because I’m always a fan of flower language, I added two beautiful flowers:

🤍 the Anemone which is said to have signified abandonment in medieval illuminations, or maybe “don’t abandon me”?

💙 the Myosotis, also known as “forget-me-not” in many languages due to the tale of a knight throwing this flower to his lady before falling into a lake. This flower also became a symbol for International Missing Children’s Day (may 25)

[cupofteainme]

In the flashback we can see Wille's bedroom in the background. It makes sense that as a royal he has his own apartment inside the palace. In this regard Erik's tiny bedroom looks weird. I don't know if it's an issue with production (which is understandable) or is the room more like a walk-in shrine for him. It has Erik's own portraits on the wall so it doesn't look like a room he lived in.

I'm happy Wille's living area is a bit more cozy than his bedroom. It has a pile of some clothes or blankets. I can't make out what they are, the green one looks a bit like a giant frog with yellow eyes and brown pupils. (Am I delusional? Yes. Can I unsee it? No.)

But the picture of the seal I recognize for real. It's Erik Bruun's drawing of a Saimaa ringed seal from the year 1974. It's an endangered species that lives only in one lake in Finland. I don't know why Wille has it. Maybe it was a gift.

They still sell this picture online if you wan to decorate like Wille. No need to hang it on the wall. Just put it behind a table.

[mcrmadness]

This is why Finland is called the country of thousands of lakes. The area we’re at is actually known as the “Finnish Lakeland”. We were on this island in Saimaa lake. It was quite rainy day but in the end the sun decided to show up a little.

That “seal” is actually not real - it’s a statue because this lake is also the home of the endangered Saimaa ringed seal - this species does not live anywhere else on this planet but in these waters in Finland. This is what the statue looks like:

[sciencespies]

Population ecology: Origins of genetic variability in seals

https://sciencespies.com/nature/population-ecology-origins-of-genetic-variability-in-seals/

Population ecology: Origins of genetic variability in seals

A new study led by Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich researchers shows that fluctuations in population sizes in the past have had a significant effect on contemporary seal populations, and estimates the risk of genetic impoverishment in the species investigated.

In the course of Earth’s history, evolution has given rise to an enormous range of biological diversity, which in turn enabled the emergence of complex, species-rich ecosystems. The availability of adequate levels of genetic variation is a basic prerequisite for evolution. Higher levels of genetic variability therefore increase the probability that any given population will be able to adapt to new environmental conditions and remain evolutionarily flexible. Scientists led by LMU evolutionary biologist Jochen Wolf have examined the genetic variability of multiple seal species and show that a large part of today’s variation is due to historical fluctuations in population sizes. In addition, the authors use the results of their genomic analyses to derive a parameter that allows them to assess the risk that genetic impoverishment and inbreeding pose to seal populations today. The new study appears in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution.

Genetic variation is the product of random mutations, which are passed down from generation to generation. However, mutations can also be lost, owing to the effects of ‘genetic bottlenecks’, for instance. Such bottlenecks can occur when a large fraction of the population is lost. “It is generally assumed that populations that are made up of many individuals are likely to exhibit high levels of genetic variability,” says Wolf. “We have now tested this assumption for 17 species of seals, by analyzing the genetic differences between 458 animals from 36 populations.”

Since the genetic variation found in present-day populations can tell us a great deal about the genetic make-up of their ancestors, the authors of the study were able to deduce from their data how different populations have changed with time. “Genetic data are like a microscope that allows us to peer into the past,” says Wolf. “The greater the differences between the genomic sequences, the farther back in time their last common ancestor lived. Our analyses enable us to look back thousands and even millions of years, and we can see that many populations must have gone through very narrow genetic bottlenecks — in other words, were drastically reduced in size — while others experienced significant expansions.”

The researchers use the ‘effective population size’ as a measure of the extent of genetic variation within a population. This parameter is defined as the number of individuals that, under theoretically ideal conditions, would be expected to exhibit the same level of genetic variance as the real population of interest. The effective population size is related to, but much smaller than, the actual size of the real population, because the parameter includes the effects of factors such as reproductive behavior. Male seals in some species compete aggressively for females. That implies that the less dominant males may have no chance to reproduce, which in turn reduces the range of genetic variation in the following generation. “We assessed the impact of such effects, but our analyses indicate that the amounts of genetic variation in modern seals have been influenced mainly by historical fluctuations in population sizes, which are probably related to changes in the climate,” says Wolf.

The ratio of the effective to the actual population size is often used to infer whether or not a given population possesses enough genetic variability to survive in the longer term. A very low quotient serves as a warning signal, since populations with low levels of variation are especially susceptible to inbreeding effects which, among other things, increase the risk of disease. “Most genetic studies undertaken in the context of conservation assess the level of genetic variability only across a few generations,” says Wolf. “Our investigation, on the other hand, extends much further back in time. So we were able to take fluctuations in population sizes into account, and could calculate the population sizes we would expect to find today due to the genetic variability.”

The expected population sizes were then compared with their actual sizes by means of a complex statistical procedure, which reveals whether the extant population is larger or smaller than the expected value. “This then tells us if a population is at risk because its current size is much too small to sustain that particular species in the longer term,” says Wolf. In this context, the absolute number of individuals can be misleading. For instance, only 400 Saimaa ringed seals survive in the wild, and the species is regarded as endangered.” From a genetic point of view, however, despite their small number, we do not expect them to run into problems in the near future, as the animals are highly variable,” says Wolf. The indications are that they settled in their present habitat only a short time ago — in evolutionary terms — and they retain the full range of variation that characterized their ancestors. The situation in the Galapagos is quite different. There too, seal and sea lion populations are small, but their levels of genetic variability are also low — a factor which is not reflected in the value of the conventional ratio of effective to actual population size. The study shows that comparative genomic analyses of animal populations constitute an important tool for the identification of vulnerable populations in order to take protective measures.

#Nature

[kulturarcok]

Finland, the land of thousand lakes

ENGLISH ×görgess le a magyar verzióért×

One would not even think what a magical place Finalnd is. It is truly a real pearl in the world. We hope, that you get in the mood to vosot Finland just as much as we did!

Helsinki

Finland’s capital city is not that typical, crowded, noisy place as many would think. But during the night life it shows the most friendly and vivid side to us. Besided this, we can also take pleasure invisiting the citiy’s architectural masterpieces. One of the capital city’s most popular spectacle is the Tuomiokirkko Cathedral, designed by Carl Ludwig Engel. This building, towering on the Northern part of Senate Square, is not only a landmark for those arriving by sea, it has become a symbol for the whole of Helsinki.

Then  we can have a freshening and inspiartional walk at the coast, or we can jump on a ferry which goes to one of the small islands belonging to Helsinki. The fortress of Suomenlinna  can be reachedwith a short ferry trip from the citycentre. This suburb, consisting of 6 islands, all offering a diffenrt atmosphere so whatever mood we are in, we can surely find the right activity.

Archipelago

At the coast of Finalnd we can find the world’s biggest archipelago. Old wooden towns, lighthouses, historical manors and the laid-back islander lifestyle, all sums up coastal Finland in a nutshell.

Bengtskär lighthouse is the southernmost destination in Finland, standing on a small, treeless island. It is the highest lighthouse in the Nordic countries and is rich in history. Nowadays the six lighthouse keepers’ rooms serve as accommodation and there is also a restaurant in the building.

Åland is an autonomous and monolingual Swedish region of Finland and consists of more than 6 500 islands. The capital, Mariehamn, a cute village-like town with a strong maritime and shipping heritage, is the only city in the unspoiled, ruggedly beautiful archipelago.

Lakeland

When we visit Lakeland is like – as they say – getting to know the heart of Finnish identity. There are a total of 188 000 lakes in Finland – from the metropolitan area around Helsinki all the way up to Inari in Lapland. Ont he Eastern side of Finland is situated Saimaa, the country’s greatest lake, where the Saimaa ringed seal, one of the most endangered species in the world, live.

This lake washes some big cities’ coasts. One of them is Savonlinna. This place is perfect for short city breaks and lakeside cottage holidays as well. The main cultural event is the annual Savonlinna Opera Festival, held in the medieval Olavinlinna Castle.

MAGYAR Finnország, az ezer tó országa

Nem is gondolná az ember, hogy mennyire varázslatos hely is Finnország. Egy igazi gyöngyszem. Reméljük ti is legalább akkora kedvet kaptok ennek az országnak a felfedezéséhez, mint mi kaptunk!

Helsinki

Finnország fővárosa nem az a tipikus, zsúfolt, hangos, nyüzsgő hely, ahogy sokan gondolnák. Ezzel szemben az éjszakai élet során a lehető legbarátságosabb és élettel teli oldalát mutatja meg nekünk. Emellett pedig a város különböző építészeti remekeiben is gyönyörködhetünk. A város egyik legnépszerűbb látványossága a Tuomiokirkko katedrális, amelyet Carl Ludwig Engel tervezett. Ez az építmény, a Szenátus tér északi részén magasodva, nem csak a tenger felől érkezők számára jelent tájékozódási pontot, de mára már Helsinki jelképévé vált.

Majd egy frissítő és lélekemlő sétát vehetünk a parton, vagy felugorhatunk egy kompra is, ami az egyik Helsinkihez tartozó kis szigetre igyekszik. A Suomenlinna erődítmény is egy ilyen rövid komp útra található a belvárostól. A hat szigetből álló külvárosi rész mindegyike más és más atmoszférával rendelkezik, így bármihez is van kedvünk, itt megtalálhatjuk a megfelelő elfoglaltságot.

Szigetvilág

Finnország partjainál a világ legnagyobb szigetvilágát találjuk. Régi, fából készült házak, világítótornyok, történelemmel átitatott majorságok és nyugodt szigeti életmód. Ennyivel lehetne jellemezni dióhéjban Finnország partvidékét.

A Bengtskär világítótorony, Finnország legdélebbi pontja, egy kis, fák nélküli szigeten helyezkedik el. Ez a világítótorony a legmagasabb az északi országokban, és telis-tele van történelemmel. Ma az őrzők szobái kivehetők szállásként, valamint étterem is működik az építmény belsejében.

Åland egy autonóm, egynyelvű svéd régiója Finnországnak, amelyet több mint 6500 sziget alkot. A „főváros” Mariehamn egy aranyos, falu-szerű város, jelentős tengerészeti és hajózási örökséggel. Ez az egyetlen város az érintetlen, rettentően gyönyörű szigetvilágban.

Tóország

Amikor ellátogatunk Finnország ezen részébe, ahogy ők mondják, megismerkedünk az igazi finn identitással. Az országban összesen 188 ezer tó található Helsinki metropolita környékétől kezdve egészen a lapföldi Inari-ig. Az ország keleti részén található a Saima, az ország legnagyobb tava, amiben a Saima tavi gyűrűsfóka él, amely a világ egyik legveszélyeztetettebb faja.

A tó több nagyobb település partjait mossa. Az egyik ilyen Savonlinna. Ez a hely tökéletesen alkalmas egy rövid városi kiruccanásra, vagy egy tóparti vendégházas kikapcsolódásra is. A legnagyobb kulturális esemény az éves Opera Fesztivál, amelyet a középkori Olavinlinna kastélyban rendeznek meg.

[kmp78]

FINLAND 1 - 0 - 0 🇫🇮

A QUICK COMPILATION OF ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW - AND WISH YOU NEVER DID.

1. You may call us Finland and Finns, but we call ourselves Suomi and suomalaiset.

2. Altho if you don´t mind, we would rather you did not call us anything ever. Actually if we could both pretend each other doesn´t even exist, that would be just great!

3. Yes we are a notoriously shy and reserved nation with a gigantic inferiority complex - especially when compared to our neighbor Sweden.

4. Who incidentally we loooooove beating in hockey.

5. Saimaannorppa aka Saimaa ringed seal can only be found in Finland and is highly endangered.

According to a count done in 2015, there are only about 320 individuals left, and therefore quite understandably whenever one is found dead in a fisherman´s net or by the hands of a poacher etc., it causes headlines and outrages.

6. 70% of Finland is made up of forests - that´s roughly the size of the entire area of the United Kingdom.

7. Finland was awarded the Summer Olympics for 1940, but then things got all sorts of fucked up thanks to Adolf & co., so those plans were scrapped even tho we had a brand-spanking new Olympic stadium and everything! Dammit!

Oh well, we were compensated in 1952 when we finally got the honor of hosting our only (so far) Olympic games.

8. Those 1952 Olympics were the first time Coca Cola was introduced to Finns.

9. No, we do not have polar bears.

10. We also don´t have KFC, Wendy´s or Dunkin´ Donuts.

11. Yes I am very upset about all those things mentioned above but especially about KFC.

12. Finland was the first country in Europe which gave women the right to vote (1906).

13. The Finnish language does not separate words such as “she” or “he”. We just use a gender-neutral “hän”, which means “that person”.

14. The national bird of Finland is the whooper swan.

15. Helsinki has the world´s most Northern metro system.

16. Savonlinna hosts their annual Opera Festival in a Medieval castle.

17. We are vindictive and petty as HELL. Just ask Silvio Berlusconi.

http://kmp78.tumblr.com/post/155861218049/finland-chronicles-part-14

18. A Finnish person will drink approximately 129 litres of milk a year.

19. Some years ago, the word for mother (”äiti”) was voted the most beautiful word in the Finnish language.

20. Moomins are, as some of you MAY REMEMBER FROM A SPECIFIC DEBACLE FROM EARLIER THIS YEAR, from Finland and were created by OUR Miss Tove Jansson.

21. Unlike many other countries which after gaining independence tore down all statues and other remnants of their history under foreign rule, in Finland we chose to keep ours up as reminders of our past.

For example, on our main square aka the Senate Square you will find Czar Alexander II standing proudly.

22. And speaking of statues, one of the landmarks of Helsinki is Havis Amanda.

It depicts a mermaid who decides to leave the sea and walk on... well, not water.

Each year on April 30th, she is “crowned” with a cap, to represent all those who have graduated from secondary school and earned their caps.

23. As of 2010, internet access has been a legal right in Finland.

24. Do you have one of those cupboard things over your kitchen sink, the kind where you place your dishes to dry?

That was invented by a Finnish woman called Maiju Gebhard in 1945.

25. The longest word in the Finnish language is “epäjärjestelmällistyttämä­ttömyydelläänsäkäänköhän”, which loosely translates to “not even by her lack of organization, do you suppose”.

26. Angry Birds are from here.

27. Finland is also the birth place of the most successful ski jump champions of all time, Matti Nykänen.

28. After his sports career came to an end, Matti has been a permanent fixture in the tabloids with his... issues... involving alcohol abuse, domestic abuse (he even served time in prison for attempting to kill one of his many ex-wives) and an assortment of careers including stripping and now singing. 

He is also responsible for one of our most beloved and useful quotes of all time: back in the 80s when he was still jumping from towers and competing in Canada, he got into some “situations” and was sent back home as punishment. When he arrived at the airport, a journo asked him “Matti, did you drink alcohol?”, to which Matti replied “Maybe I did drink, maybe I didn´t drink”.

All bases covered then!

The man is a fucking genius.

29. There are absolutely ZERO public payphones anywhere in Finland.

30. For a very short period of time back in, Finland had a female president AND a  female Prime Minister. 

Sadly that arrangement came to an abrupt end when the Prime Minister was forced to resign over a scandal involving some sort of Iraq documents which I´m still, a decade later, completely baffled by.

31. As those who come on this blog surely know by now, Yours Truly is a passionate berry picker - and being a berry nut in Finland is easy indeed since a) we have one of the cleanest natures in the world and b) all living things you find in nature, you can keep - within reason, of course.

Usually a good principle is to keep about 100 meters distance from the nearest house. Other than that, you´re good to go!

32. People in in Northern Finland aka Lapland area have a very specific unit of measurement called the “poronkusema” which could be loosely translated to “Reindeer´s piss”. Roughly it means the distance a reindeer can walk before needing to urinate. It´s quite a long distance...

33. Our current President Sauli Niinistö is a survivor of the tragic tsunami which took place in South-East Asia on Dec 26, 2004. Over 200 000 people (including almost 200 Finnish tourists) died in one of the worst natural disasters of our time - Mr. Niinistö and his sons saved their own lives by climbing up a telephone pole and staying there for several hours.

34. In Finland October 13th is National Failure Day which aims to encourage people to share their failures and learn from them rather than hide their heads in shame and pretend all is well.

35. The REAL Santa Claus lives up in Rovaniemi and you can visit his village all year long.

36. Sheldon gave us a good laugh and an ego boost.

37. We like eating Rudolf with lingonberries and mash.

38. On some years we get A LOT of snow, but on others we get practically none. Back in 1997, in Lapland the snow reached up to 190 cm.

Incidentally I am 155 cm.

39. In the Finnish language there is an alphabet called Å which isn´t actually a part of a single Finnish word in the entire Finnish language - it is simply a remnant from our many centuries spent under Swedish rule.

40. Unesco has reported that Finland´s tap water is the cleanest in the world.

41. A handy Finnish saying: “Early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese”.

42. For some God forsaken reason, Finland and Estonia have the same national anthem.

43. Sadly accurate these days.

44. Sadly accurate these days.

45. Rosina Heikel (1842 - 1929) was Finland´s and in fact the Nordic countries 1st female doctor.

46. When something is a failure/a dud, the common term in the English language is “a lemon”. Over here, it´s “susi”. Susi also means wolf.

47. And susi should not be confused with sisu! 

48. In Lapland you can spend your vacation in an igloo.

49. Fines for speeding are determined by the offender´s income. Basically if you earn more, you have to pay more. The highest fines have been over 100 000 €. Stay poor, kids!

50. Pamela Anderson´s grandparents were from Finland.

51. Yes we like getting our drinks on, and most of us go abroad to Tallinn to get our drinks on for a lot less €s.

52. In Lapland, the Sun never rises from November to January.

53. In reverse, the Sun never sets from June to July. We call it “The Nightless night”.

54. Finland has exactly 1 Eurovision victory under its belt.

55. In 2018 Saara Aalto will be repping us.

Please vote for us. Please?

56. Nokia became famous for their mobile phones, but originally they manufactured rubber boots.

57. We don´t dub movies or TV shows.

58. We do however sometimes give them ridiculous and extremely SPOILER ALERT-y names. For example, “The Shawshank Redemption” was translated to “Rita Hayworth - Key to escape”.

I mean... C´MOOOOON!

59. Sometimes that´s all you can do.

60. Simo Häyhä aka “White Death” was one of the deadliest snipers of all time. During a 3 month stretch of the Winter War, he shot roughly 200 Russian soldiers before getting shot in the face himself. He survived and lived to be 96.

61. We don´t use the 1 and 2 cent coins. You CAN try paying with them as they of course are legal currency, but there are no guarantees you´ll get very far.

62. Feb 14th may be a day for lovers for the rest of the world, but we know it as “Friend´s Day”.

63. Tipping is not (thankfully) a part of the Finnish culture.

64. The guy longing for Sven in Titanic (the coat dude) was portrayed as a Swede, but was actually a Finn called Jari Kinnunen.

65. Karelian pies with egg butter are the best thing ever.

66. Märket island which is situated between Finland and Sweden had to have the border lines twisted a bit because the Finns who built that lighthouse, accidentally built it on the wrong side...

67. While often named as one of the 5 Scandinavian countries, Finland isn´t technically even a part of Scandinavia: we ARE however a part of the Nordic countries.

68. If you are invited to a Finnish sauna, you are expected to go nude.

69. Finnish armed forces are mandatory for men but voluntary for women.

70. Moomin mugs are peculiarly popular especially among Asian tourists. They can sometimes pay even thousands for rare ones.

71. We never had vikings, but there is one viking tale about a princess called Skjalv, daughter of the Finnish King Froste (those aren´t even Finnish names...), who was stolen as war loot to Sweden but ended up strangling her captor with a gold chain. 

72. Our 4th president was Kyösti Kallio, who was forced to resign from office after the Winter War on December 19th 1940. On that same day he was about to step onto a train to take him back home for retirement, when during his final official ceremony at Helsinki Railway Station, in front of his soldiers and while the orchestra played, he suffered a fatal heart attack and died right there in front of everyone. Legend says he collapsed into the arms of our greatest war hero and later president himself, Marshall C.G.E. Mannerheim (seen in the white hat next to President Kallio).

73. Marshall Mannerheim is the only person in Finnish history who has been rewarded that particular military honor. In fact, he is and forever will remain the only person who has the title “Finland´s Marshall”, an honor bestowed upon him for his services to his home country during Finland´s tumultuous early years of independence.

A few years ago he was voted by the Finns themselves as the most important Finnish person of all time.

74. In June 1942, Adolf Hitler came to Finland to pay his respects to Marshall Mannerheim on his 75th birthday. As a little “souvenir” for future generations, the sneaky Finns recorded a snippet of his and Mannerheim´s private conversation.

It is the only known recording of Hitler speaking with a calm, normal voice, as he was very particular about only being filmed while screaming and ranting his ideologies.

75. Roughly 3 million tourists visit Finland each year and I think at least 2 500 000 of them are always going exactly where I´m going too.

76. We like to make things hard for foreigners.

77. We don´t have any mountains.

78. But we have lakes. We have a shit ton of lakes. 187 888 lakes to be precise.

79. FYI

80. All our days end with -tai (Monday = maanantai, Tuesday = tiistai etc.), except for Wednesday. Wednesday is called keskiviikko.

81. We have a lot of free time.

82. J. R. R. Tolkien used the Finnish national epoch the Kalevala as inspiration for the languages in the Lord of the Rings saga.

83. The St. Louis Arch was designed by a Finn called Eero Saarinen.

84. Every summer we arrange what is called Kaljakellunta aka “Beer float” which pretty much just consists of taking a floatie and a case of beer and... well, that´s about it.

85. If you want to enhance your sauna experience, you can use a birch whisk.

86. The bubble chair was designed by a Finnish man called Eero Aarnio.

87. Thursdays are the “official” pea soup and pancakes day all over Finland.

88. Finns love queuing.

89. Life expectancy for men is 78 years and for women 84 years.

90. In Tornio you can play golf in two countries:

http://kmp78.tumblr.com/post/155901150914/finland-chronicles-part-15

91. Finns invented the so-called Molotov´s cocktail.

92. All people in Finland must pay a TV tax even if they do not they own a TV.

93.  We celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December.

94. Finns love salmiakki aka salty licorice.

I don´t, btw.

95. Finland is one of the few countries in Europe which has not banned sex with animals - and some actually take advantage of that loophole...

http://kmp78.tumblr.com/post/156161829244/finland-chronicles-part-21

http://kmp78.tumblr.com/post/156257574544/finland-chronicles-part-23

96. Armi Kuusela won the 1st ever Miss Universe pageant in 1952.

97. In 2006, Conan O´Brian did a sketch about looking like our then-president Tarja Halonen and it ballooned into a huge movement.

98. Weeeeell...

99. On every Independence day, the current president hosts a party at his residence for about 2 000 dignitaries, celebs, politicians etc. We riff raffers sit at home in our sweatpants and watch it on TV with some nachos and snarky comments.

100. MONTY PYTHON KNOWS. 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SUOMI, AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING. 

Despite you reeeeally getting on my nerves SO MUCH and SO OFTEN, I still love you. 💙 💙 💙

[heskeline]

Inktober Day 4: Underwater First time trying out ink wash painting for a full piece, real fun experience. Depicted is the most endangered animal species of Finland, the Saimaa Ringed Seal, or Saimaannorppa.