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The Baikal seal, Lake Baikal seal or nerpa (Pusa sibirica) is a species of earless seal endemic to Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia. Like the Caspian seal , it is related to the Arctic ringed seal . The Baikal seal is one of the smallest true seals and the only exclusively freshwater pinniped species. [ 2 ]
While the Baikal Seal is the only unique species of pinniped to live in a purely freshwater environment for the duration of their lives, various species of typically saltwater seals may occasionally frequent freshwater environments or include isolated populations in near coastal freshwater lakes. A Ladoga seal laying on ice in Lake Ladoga
Adult Baikal seals measure 1.2-1.4m in length and weigh 63-70kg, the males slightly larger than the females. Pups normally measure about 65cm in length and weigh about 4kg at birth. Females reach sexual maturity at 3-6 years of age, males at 4-7 years. Baikal seals have been known to dive for as long as 43 minutes.
- Population Threats
- Population Number
- Ecological Niche
Baikal seals have been hunted for a very long time for pelts, oil and meat. Such harvesting continues today, although at such a level that it is believed not to threaten the species’ survival. But pollution of the lake is a threat, with this ‘pearl of Siberia’ affected by towns and factories on its shores, which pollute the water with industrial wa...
According to the IUCN Red List, the total Baikal seal population size was estimated to be around 108,200 individuals in 2013. Currently, this species is classified as Least Concern (LC) and its numbers today remain stable.
Being piscivores, Baikal seals affect fish populations in their range. This species is the crown of Lake Baikal’s great ecosystem and its only mammal.
May 18, 2021 · Baikal seals, or nerpa as they are locally known are restricted solely to the freshwater Lake Baikal in Russia. They are one of the few species of pinniped which live in freshwater. They feed almost entirely on fish with some invertebrates also consumed. Young are born in small dens dug in the ice which covers the lake for much of the winter.
Baikal seals are endemic to Lake Baikal in Siberia and are found only this lake and connecting rivers. (Nowak, 1991) Biogeographic Regions; palearctic. native; Habitat. Pusa sibirica is the only seal that lives primarily in freshwater. It is endemic to Lake Baikal, and occasionally is found in rivers connecting to the lake.
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Nov 21, 2023 · The Baikal seal is a carnivorous organism, feeding mostly on the variety of fish species that live in Lake Baikal. Their primary diet consists of golomyanka, gammarids, and mollusks. Most foraging ...
