Stats

Lifespan: 10-13 yrs
Size: Medium
Diet: Omnivore
Activity: Diurnal
Social: Pack
Biome: Temperate grassland
Range: Worldwide
Movement: Running
Breeding: Live Birth
Defense: Speed
Status: Common

About

Finland's national dog, the Finnish Spitz was bred over centuries as a 'bark pointer' — it locates birds in trees and barks rapidly to hold their gaze while the hunter closes in. Its musical, yodel-like bark can reach up to 160 beats per minute, and competitions are held in Finland to crown the champion barker.

Life cycle

1.
newborn pup
A blind newborn pup nurses and sleeps, completely dependent on its mother.
2.
juvenile
A weaned pup wrestles with littermates, learns its place in the pack, and starts eating meat.
3.
adolescent
An adolescent canid reaches near-adult size with long legs and a thinner coat, learning to hunt cooperatively.
4.
adult
Fully grown and hunting alongside the pack.

Learn more

Taxonomy

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Carnivora
Family: Canidae
Genus: Canis
Species: Canis familiaris