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The Saimaa ringed seal
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Good breeding conditions
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The count of lairs with seal pups in them has just been completed this year, and as many as 64 pups were found. The number of pups is a record in the history of censuses carried out since 1981.
The breeding conditions this spring were excellent for the Saimaa ringed seal. "The Saimaa ringed seal digs its lair deep in a snowdrift, so in order for the seals to breed successfully, sufficient snow is essential. This year, we had a lot of snow," says Koskela.
For the durability of the lair the air temperature is also crucial; it should stay cold enough while the seals are in their lair so that the snow does not melt and cause the roof to collapse. "There
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Matti Heikkinen collects from the lair a sample of the baby fur shed by a seal pup. Newborn seal pups have grey fur, but they soon shed it and grow a new darker coat. The number of seal pups is deduced on the basis of lairs because seals and their pups are very difficult to spot in the wild. There is always only one seal pup to a lair. The moulted grey fur is the surest sign that a pup was born in this particular lair.
was a mild period in March when the roofs of some lairs did collapse. But by then I doubt if it was very serious for the pups," Koskela says.
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