Saimaa ringed seal (Pusa hispida saimensis) in the water at Lake Saimaa’s Orivesi region. Photo: Jussi Nukari / Lehtikuva
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The Saimaa ringed seal, native to eastern Finland’s Lake Saimaa, has been reclassified as its own species following genetic analysis by Finnish and international researchers.
Previously listed as a subspecies of the ringed seal, the Saimaa population will now be known as Pusa saimensis, the International Society for Marine Mammalogy confirmed. The decision replaces its earlier classification as Pusa hispida saimensis.
The scientific reclassification follows evidence that the Saimaa ringed seal is genetically and structurally distinct from all other ringed seals. The findings were based on a study by researchers from the University of Helsinki, the University of Eastern Finland, the Natural Re
Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
