Lake Baikal Marine Life

Amazingly an estimated 100 000 nerpa seals call lake baikal home.

Lake baikal marine life. Lake baikal russian ozero baykal also spelled ozero bajkal lake located in the southern part of eastern siberia within the republic of buryatia and irkutsk oblast province of russia it is the oldest existing freshwater lake on earth 20 million 25 million years old as well as the deepest continental body of water having a maximum depth of 5 315 feet 1 620 metres. Saving and protecting marine life for present and future generations since 1973. All these are part of the cottoidea and are typically less than 20 cm 8 in long. The families abyssocottidae deep water sculpins comephoridae golomyankas or baikal oilfish and cottocomephoridae baikal sculpins are entirely restricted to the lake basin.

Lake baikal is home to more than 2 000 species of plants and animals two thirds of which can be found nowhere else in the world including the baikal omul fish and baikal oil fish as well as the nerpa one of the world s only freshwater species of seal. Bears elk lynx and other wildlife abound in the surrounding forests and mountains. Huge patch of mysterious green sludge threatens to kill marine life in russia s lake baikal sludge covers area on the lake s surface with diameter around 50 to 70m local scientists believe sludge. 1 800 species of which 80 percent are endemic the omul salmon the oily golomyanka fish and the freshwater seals called nerpas.

Nature aside the region is also rich with culture home to the dissenting decembrists buddhists and buryat ethnic minority. Wetland ecosystems of the chivyrkuisky neck of land constitute one of the largest places of nesting of birds at lake baikal. Barguzinsky nature reserve 275 species of birds live in barguzinsky nature reserve but their number has been steadily growing in connection with the global climate changes. The lake s thriving marine life is in part thanks to hydrothermal vents inside the lake which act as entryways for cold water to enter cracks in the earth s crust venturing toward the magma deep inside the surface.

The ancient and deep lake is a deep blue of the purest water surrounded by sharp mountains and amazing wildlife. Lake baikal features 27 islands including one 45 miles in length called olkhon while in and around baikal live more than 1 500 animal species about 80 percent of which live nowhere else on the. Certain infuzoria species are found even at a depth of 600 metres. The infusoria the rhizopods the flagellums and the sporoforms.

Among the smallest organisms inhabiting baikal are the protozoa unicellular organisms.