Mammals · Carnivora · Phocidae

Baikal Seal

Pusa sibirica

Least Concern

The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary

The Baikal seal, or nerpa, is one of only three seals in the world that live exclusively in fresh water, and the only one confined to a single lake. It inhabits Lake Baikal, the deepest and oldest lake on the planet, more than 1,500 kilometres from the nearest sea. It feeds almost exclusively on golomyanka, translucent fish endemic to the lake, and dives to more than 300 metres. In winter it keeps breathing holes open in the ice and gives birth to its pups in lairs dug in the snow.

Weight

50 kg – 130 kg

Size

1.1 m – 1.4 m

Lifespan

55 years

Diet

Carnivore

Feeds mainly on other animals.

Social structure

Solitary

Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.

Sighting difficulty

Easy

Estimated population

Some 80,000-100,000 individuals

FreshwaterPolarCarnivore Solitary Freshwater Polar Mammal

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Fun facts

GeneralThe only seal in the world that lives entirely in fresh water.
It lives more than 1,500 kilometres from the nearest ocean, and how its ancestors reached Baikal is still debated: the most widely accepted hypothesis is that they came up the rivers from the Arctic during the Pleistocene.
It is one of the longest-lived seals: females of more than fifty years old have been documented still breeding.

Life cycle & biology

Skeleton type: Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)
Habitat & environment: Lake Baikal, in Siberia: open water in summer and ice with snow lairs in winter
Sexual maturity: 5.8 years
Gestation / incubation: 9 months
Litter / clutch size: 1.02 (average)

Sources consulted: https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pusa_sibirica