Brown bear

Sponsor: Busspoolen.nu

Arctic fox

(Alopex lagopus) In our country the arctic fox is linked to the bare mountain region. It is placed under protection since 1928, but the population is still only just under 100 animals. The arctic fox can be found all over the Arctic region and lives on the tundra, on drift-ice and on the bare mountains. There might be arctic foxes with both white and dark ("blue") winter fur in the same litter if the parents carry genes for both colour variants. In our country about one tenth of the arctic foxes are blue.

Sponsor: Onischa AB

Grey seal

(Halichoerus grypus) The grey seals of the Baltic Sea differ from those in the Atlantic. The Baltic Sea grey seals give birth to their pups on the ice in the winter. The pups of the Atlantic seals are born in the autumn on sand beaches. A grown-up grey seal can dive down to 100 metres to catch fish.

Sponsor: Sokigo AB

Wolverine

(Gulo gulo) In our country the wolverine lives in the alpine areas and in the nearby forests. It was placed under protection in 1969 when the population of wolverines was pushed back into the alpine regions of the County of Norrbotten. Today the population is estimated to a couple of hundred animals. The wolverine has a circumpolar distribution, i.e. it lives in the alpine and tundra areas and in the northern part of the taiga (the pine forest) in Europe, Asia and North America. During the main part of the year wolverines live alone in large territories. They dig out a lair in the snow. The cubs are blind at birth and have a white fur. They weigh about 100 grams.

Lynx

(Lynx lynx) The lynx has lived in Sweden since the Ice Age. Today there are probably over 1 000 lynx in  Sweden. Lynx are divided into four species - Spanish lynx (Spain, Portugal), Canadian lynx (North America), Eurasian lynx (Europe and Asia) and Bobcat (North America). Its tail with a black tip and its head with white ear patches and eye borders are distinct "signal spots". The lynx also has scent glands on its cheeks and on its paws, supplementing its urine markings as scent sources. A grown-up lynx eats about one kilo of meat per day. In our country the lynx preys mainly on hares and roe deer, especially in the winter.

Lycksele Zoo participates in SAZA's conservation project for Lynx.

Red fox

(Vulpes vulpes) The red fox is common all over our country. Due to fox scabies the population diminished severely in the 1980s , but today it is growing again. The red fox is very widely distributed over the northern hemisphere and lives in a variety of biotopes. It is a predator, but at the same time the most "omnivorous" animal in our country. A fox eats anything from blueberries and crops, via worms and bugs, to hares, voles, birds and even roe deer. Small rodents are its favourite dish. Red foxes may live alone, in couples or in small packs.

Otter

(Lutra lutra) The otter population has decreased in a disastrous way in our country since the 1950s, when it was common all over the country. Nowadays the otter is quite common in northern Sweden and in small scattered groups in southern Sweden. In the winter the male and the female live together, otherwise they live alone. In most cases the pups are born in May in our country. They weigh around 130 grams and are blind during the first two weeks. Usually they are two and suckled for two months, but they stay with their mother for a whole year.

 

Wolf

(Canis lupus) The wolf was one of the first animals to migrate to Sweden after the Ice Age. 150 years ago it was spread all over the country. After intensive shooting the wolf was close to extinction in the 1970s and 1980s. In 1966 it was placed under protection in Sweden. Since the mid-1980s the number of wolves has slowly increased and at the beginning of the 2000s there were about 100 animals.

Fallow deer

(Dama dama) The fallow deer originally comes from the Mediterranean area and was brought to Sweden as an animal in captivity. From the mid-1800s it can be found in the wild (liberated) in southern Sweden.  

Red deer

(Cervus elaphus) The red deer has lived in the wild in Sweden since the Ice Age. In the 18th and 19th centuries it was close to becoming extinct in our country. Today the population is slowly increasing. They live mainly in the Province of Skåne. Usually the red deer also occurs in southern and in mid-Sweden and - on rare occasions - as far north as the coastal areas of northern Sweden. A grown-up male has antlers, which normally have three tines that are pointed forward. The upper tines form a "crown", which has given the deer its Swedish name: "crown deer".
 

Musk ox

(Ovibos moschatus) The musk ox is the last of the big prehistoric animals. They used to live with mammoths and woolly rhinos during the last Ice Age - even in our country. The mammoth and the woolly rhino became extinct ages ago, but the musk ox still lives in the barren and cold tundra areas. The musk ox died out in Scandinavia 3 000 years ago. In the summer of 1971, though, a handful of musk oxen wandered from Norway into the Province of Härjedalen. In the mid-1980s there were about 35 animals. Its only natural enemy is the wolf. The grown-ups forms a tight ring (with their horns pointed outwards) around their calves when wolves attack. It is extremely difficult for the wolves to get past this "living wall" and kill the calves.

Reindeer

(Rangifer tarandus) The reindeer is the only deer where both sexes grow antlers. The wild reindeer became extinct in our country in the 1800s. "Swedish" reindeer is now domesticated and herded by the Sámi. The reindeer is one of the most useful domestic animals. The Sámi word for the bull is 'sarv', and the cow is called 'vaja'. A castrated bull is called 'härk' and is used as a draught animal. The live reindeer is used as a draught and pack animal, and the cows can also be milked. Almost all parts of a slaughtered reindeer can become of use. Lichen of various kinds is the most important feed for reindeer, which are specially adapted to digest and assimilate the lean feed. In the summer their diet is increased with grass, herbs, leaves and mushrooms. In the winter reindeer can use their hooves to dig down (crater) through the snow cover to get to the ground-dwelling lichens. They also eat hanging lichens from trees. Wild reindeer occur all over the tundra areas of the northern hemisphere. In North America the reindeer is called Caribou.

Roe deer

(Capreolus capreolus) The roe deer is our smallest deer. In the 1700s the roe deer was close to extinction in Sweden. It was preserved in the Province of Skåne, and since the 1850s the population has steadily grown. 

Sponsor: GB

Wild forest reindeer

(Rangifer tarandus fennicus) The reindeer is the only deer where both sexes grow antlers. The wild forest reindeer is a sub-species of the mountain reindeer and adapted for a life in the forest. It has considerably longer legs, broader hoofs and a smaller antler crown than the mountain reindeer. The wild reindeer became extinct in our country in the 1860s, and about 50 years later - in 1915 - it was placed under protection. "Swedish" reindeer are now domesticated and herded by the Sámi.

Wild boar

(Sus scrofa) Nowadays the wild boar is a fairly common animal in southern and middle Sweden. Omnivorous. Above all, it eats plant parts like roots and tubers, but also small rodents, insects, worms and carrion are part of the diet. Sturdy with a big head and short legs. The fur is dark greyish brown and coarse. The winter fur is thick and long-haired. The summer coat looks like "one-week-old stubble". The canine teeth of the males grow continuously and form dangerous tusks that are bent upwards. They can run at 50 kilometres/hour (ca 30 miles/h).

Wisent or European bison

(Bison bonasus) The wisent is a pure herd animal. The herd usually consists of 10-30 animals with an old bull as its leader. The wisent does not live in the wild in Sweden any more. It disappeared from southern Sweden just under 1 000 years ago. The wisent became totally extinct in the wild at the time of the 1st World War, but was saved thanks to the fifty or so animals that lived in eight zoos, one of which is in Sweden. Charachteristic for the bulls is the dark brown coat. The neck of a wisent is short and thick with a shoulder hump. The broad, short skull has a curly mop of hair on the forehead, a short beard on the chin and short horns that project outwards and then curve upwards and slightly forwards.

Beaver

(Castor fiber) The beaver is known as a lumberjack and a master at building dams. It is the biggest rodent in the northern hemisphere. After having been endangered in many countries, it has recovered today thanks to extensive protection measures and reintroduction into their natural habitats. The beaver is a primarily nocturnal, large, semiaquatic rodent that lives in lifelong partner relationships. It is an excellent swimmer, good at diving and it can stay under water for up to 15 minutes. The beaver digs in the embankment and uses branches and mud to build a hut with an underwater entrance. It can cut down trees with a diameter of up to 50 cm.  The beaver eats a vegetable diet, beach vegetation, leaves, bark and soft tree parts.

The beaver's fur is brown and very dense. The coat protects the animal against supercooling. The beaver continously cleans its fur and rubs it with a greasy substance, castoreum. The beaver has webbed hind feet and a broad, scaly tail.

Goat

(Capra Hircus) The Jämtland goat is one of our Swedish native breeds. Its colours may vary. Goats can be kept for the milk and a good Jämtland goat can produce 300-400 kilos of milk per season.

The African dwarf goat comes from Africa, and for a long time it has  been a popular breed in zoos because of its size and its pleasant temperament. It has short legs, a compact body and a small head. Its withers height is around 40 centimetres.

Pig

(Sus scrofa dom) Originates from the Eurasian wild boar. Man has bred various breeds.

Gotland sheep

(Ovis aries) The Gotland sheep is one of our Swedish native breeds. A hardy breed that can be kept in open pasture throughout the year. Both sexes grow horns. The Gotland sheep has thin, fairly long legs. It was a great supplier of wool for frieze clothes in the Middle Ages, mentioned in scripts from 1292.

Sponsor: Lycksele Bostäder

Horse

(Equus caballus)

Chicken

(Gallus gallus) Our domestic chicken originates from the Red Junglefowl in south-east Asia: Gallus gallus. There are about 400 various breeds of chicken. The hens hatch on their eggs for three weeks and take care of their chicks for 8-10 weeks.

Swedish dwarf hens are particularly prone to brooding.

The Scanian "flower fowl" is our biggest Swedish native breed. It has got its name from the white feather tips forming "flowers" in its plumage which is often white-flowered on a brown bottom. Except for the flower fowl the zoo has the Bjurholm hen, a native breed from Bjurholm outside Umeå.

Polecat

(Mustela putorius) Exterior: Brown fur with paler sides. A pale head with darker markings above the eyes. Small ears with white edges, short legs. Its size is usually 30-45 cm, the tails 10-15 cm. The polecat occurs in Sweden up to the Province of Uppland. Common in Skåne. Mainly nocturnal. A bad climber, which sticks mainly to the ground in damp woods with glades. Prey: Mostly small rodents and frogs, but also birds, hares, lizards and insects. Also hunts in water.

Rabbit

(Oryctolagus cuniculus dom) Domestic rabbits are popular pets and occur in a great number of breeds. They are domesticated forms of the European wild rabbit and become sexually mature at the age of 3-4 months. Suckling period: about 6 weeks.

Guinea pig