Baikal seal - where it lives, how to see. Seal - sea bump Baikal seal in winter

29.10.2019

Lake Baikal is famous for its depth, purity of water and beautiful nature around. But he has another attraction. Once unusual seals settled here, and there are no such animals in any other body of water in the world. Therefore, they are called endemic, that is, living in a limited space, in a small habitat.

How seals ended up in Baikal

The way of life of Baikal seals is well studied. But how, from where they got into this body of water, remote from the seas and oceans, remains a mystery to scientists. There are 2 more species of freshwater seals: one of them also lives in Russia, in Ladoga, and the other has mastered Lake Saimaa in Finland. Their appearance there is associated with a change in the northern water spaces during the ice age, and such an explanation is not suitable for Baikal seals.

The seal is endemic to Lake Baikal.

What do seals look like

The Baikal seal is a large and strong animal. It grows in length for almost 19 years and reaches 110-165 cm with a weight of 50-130 kg. The body is similar in shape to a spindle - it expands towards the head and narrows towards the tail, there is no neck. The front flippers have large claws and are more developed than the hind flippers. Between the fingers of the membrane.

In seals of Baikal, the body and flippers are protected by a short, but dense and hard hairline. His the color on the back is brownish-gray with different shades, and on the chest and stomach it is light gray with yellowness. Sometimes the coloration is spotted.

Long and stiff hairs are visible on the upper lip - these are vibrissae. They are very sensitive and serve as a way for seals to navigate on land and in water.

Important abilities of the seal

Baikal seals have no one to be afraid of in the world around them, only human hunters are dangerous for them. Caution, the ability of swimmers and an inconspicuous color help animals escape from death.

This type of seal tolerates harsh climatic conditions well. A thick layer of fat under waterproof wool does not allow hypothermia, it also gives strength and energy in case of shortage of food.

Water is their element.

Baikal seals stay in the water for the winter, under the ice. Animals make breathing holes in it with claws and teeth in advance and then do not allow these holes to freeze until spring.

The seals have excellent sight, hearing and sense of smell, and the dexterity of movement in the water seems incredible. If necessary, they can:

reach speeds up to 25 km / h;
go to a depth of 400 meters;
hold your breath and stay under water for up to 40 minutes.

Hunting and food

The Baikal seal eats 3-5 kg of fish per day, and almost a ton per year. He does not need to compete with a man in the extraction of food, because he hunts only non-commercial representatives of the underwater world. But a seal will not refuse to feast on a valuable breed if it finds itself in the place where it was caught in fishing nets.

Fish is the main delicacy.

Seal mothers and their cubs

Females of the Baikal seal give birth to one cub, two at once - rarely. It happens in March, in the snow holes that mother seals make on the frozen surface of the lake. Newborn seal pups weigh 3-4 kg. They are covered with white fur, which is why they received the nickname white squirrel from the locals. This coloration serves them for camouflage in snowy expanses.

For two months, the babies live with their mothers and feed on milk. Then they get the necessary skills, switch to a fish diet, molt, and the color of their coat gradually changes.

Maternal care.

Protection of the Baikal seal

Baikal seals are well adapted for survival, the age of 50 years is not the limit for them. But still these animals were listed in the Red Book, and at the beginning of the 21st century hunting for them was banned. The right to prey was reserved only for scientists and indigenous people living near the lake.

Now the number of seals exceeds 100 thousand individuals. They explore new areas of Baikal and surprise tourists and local residents with their abundance when they get out on the rocky shores to bask in the sun. And most of them are on the Ushkany Islands, on the territory of the Zabaikalsky nature reserve.

Good to bask in the sun.

At the end of the message - a few more facts from the life of unique Baikal seals:

They are curious and specially look out of the water to watch the ships.
On land, seals are slow and clumsy, and in case of danger, they try to move in leaps and bounds.
These are the only mammals on Baikal.
Seals sleep in the water so tightly that scuba divers managed to turn them from side to side.
Muscovites and guests of the Russian capital can admire these cute animals in the Moskvarium.

The seal is an amazing animal that lives in extreme conditions. In addition, the seal helped the peoples of the north of Russia to survive in the most difficult conditions. This statement is indisputable, since only hunting for seals and various types of pinnipeds allowed them to survive in the most difficult conditions.

What kind of mammal is this that saved the Yakuts, Buryats and several other small nationalities living in the northern regions of the Russian Federation from extinction?

Nerpa - description of the animal, photo and video

This amazing mammal has a spindle-shaped body, which smoothly passes into the head. The limbs of the seal are flippers, while the front flippers are equipped with powerful claws and impressive muscles. It is the front limbs that help her to make an outlet in the ice in order to breathe in air or rest on ice or stones after hunting or escaping from a predator.

In addition, this mammal has a significant layer of subcutaneous fat, the thickness of which can vary from 2 to 14 cm.

Scientists distinguish three types of this type of seal: Baikal, Caspian and ringed seals. It was the fat, skin and meat of these animals that allowed several small nationalities of our Motherland to survive.

Using animal fat and meat to feed, heat and light their dwellings, and skins to make clothes, boats and dwellings themselves, thousands, and possibly millions of people, were able to withstand the harshest conditions of life.

The habitat of this unique mammal is quite extensive and affects both the regions of the extreme north of the Russian Federation and in the lakes of the northern regions of our Motherland. In addition, these animals are also found in the Caspian Sea. This species of seals, living in Lake Baikal and the Caspian Sea, are considered the most interesting for scientific study, as many scientists consider them to be witnesses to the initial distribution of seals in lakes after the end of the Ice Age.

Since this species of the seal family, like its closest relatives, is a predator, the basis of the animal's diet is fish. In addition, in the event of an unsuccessful hunt, this mammal will not give up various types of crustaceans and zooplankton.

At the same time, the seal does not give preference to any particular type of fish, but hunts for any fish that is common in its habitat. However, in addition to humans, they also have natural enemies that significantly affect the population of seals. Natural enemies include: sea lions, killer whales, walruses, arctic foxes and other marine and land animals.

Despite the colonization of the regions of the far north of Russia and the break in the way of life that has occurred, the commercial production of seals pursues almost the same goals as several hundred years ago. Fat, which has some medical properties, is used in various diseases associated with hypothermia (frostbite), and meat - with a lack of vitamin C (scurvy).

However, the main reasons for industrial production remain the skins of the animal. Due to the presence of dense thick fur and the high strength of the skin itself, clothing and hats made from the skin of this animal are very popular not only among residents of the far north, but also among residents of more southern regions.

Given the above, we can confidently say that if the seal, as a species, had died in the process of evolution, it would have become much poorer.

Let's watch the video - the seal communicates with the girl:

On May 25, a regional children's and youth ecological holiday is celebrated - the day of the seal. It was first held in 2003 in Irkutsk.

The holiday very quickly became popular in many regions of Russia, including the Irkutsk region, the Republic of Buryatia and other regions of Siberia, and is included in the calendar of ecological dates. We have collected 10 unique facts about this rare mammal.

The Baikal seal is one of three species of freshwater seal found nowhere else but this lake. The main seal rookery is located on the Ushkany Islands, where you can find a lot of food and there are practically no people who pose the main threat to these animals.

Why is the Baikal seal interesting and unique?

1. The seal is the only mammal of Lake Baikal. According to morphological and biological features, the Baikal seal is close to the ringed seal that lives in the seas of the Far North and the Far East. There are also some signs of similarity between the seal and the Caspian seal.

2. It is not known how the seal ended up in Baikal. Some researchers believe that it penetrated into it during the Ice Age from the Arctic Ocean through the Yenisei-Angara river system simultaneously with the Baikal omul. Others believe that the entire family of true seals (Caspian, Baikal and ringed seals) originally appeared in large freshwater reservoirs of Eurasia and only then settled in the Caspian Sea, the Arctic Ocean and Baikal. However, this mystery has not yet been solved.

3. The Baikal seal can accelerate under water up to a speed of 25 kilometers per hour. She is a consummate swimmer and can easily avoid danger at this speed.

4. The seal dives to a depth of 200 meters and remains under water for 20-25 minutes.

5. The seal can suspend pregnancy: no other animal on Earth can do this. In some cases, the embryo stops developing, but does not die and is not destroyed, but simply falls into suspended animation, which lasts until the next mating season. And then the seal gives birth to two cubs at once.

6. Pregnancy of seals lasts 11 months. Females puppies in March-April. Fur seals are white, so they are called pups. This coloration allows them to remain almost invisible in the snow in the first weeks of life. With the transition to self-feeding by fish, the cubs molt, the fur gradually acquires a silver-gray color in two or three months old, and in older and adult individuals it becomes brown-brown.

7. The fat content of Baikal seal milk is 60%. The nutritional properties of milk help seals gain weight quickly.

8. Seals build their winter homes from under the ice. They swim up to a suitable place, make holes - vents, scraping the ice with the claws of their forelimbs. As a result, their house from the surface is covered with a protective snow cap.

9. The Baikal seal is a very cautious, but inquisitive and intelligent animal. If she sees that there is not enough space on the rookery, then she begins to rhythmically spank with flippers on the water, imitating the splash of oars, in order to frighten her relatives and settle in the vacant place.

10. Seals live 55-56 years. Adult animals reach 1.6-1.7 meters in length and 150 kilograms of weight. Sexual maturity occurs in the fourth or sixth year of life. Females are able to bear fruit up to 40-45 years.

From whom should the Baikal seal be protected?

Huge losses of the Baikal seal were recorded in 1996, mainly due to licensed and poaching hunting, as well as chemical pollution of the lake.

“Today, the approximate number of Baikal seals is from 75 to 100 thousand heads. This is quite a lot, but fishing is not being carried out now,” said Mikhail Kreindlin, Greenpeace expert on specially protected natural areas.

Formally, the Baikal seal is still a commercial species and is not listed in the Red Book, but hunting for it was banned in 1980. Until 2009, a quota was issued for industrial capture of 50 animals. Since the end of 2014, the quota has been issued only to research institutes.

“Currently, a drop in the number of seals is not recorded, but the state of Baikal cannot but affect its inhabitants. For example, the recent drop in the water level has led to the drying of spawning grounds for fish, the main food for seals. There are also threats that have not yet been realized, for example, the construction of the Shuren hydroelectric power station on the Selenga River, the largest tributary of the lake, which can also lead to severe shallowing and will indirectly threaten the seal too," said Mikhail Kreindlin.

(lat. Pusa sibirica) is the only seal species in the world that lives in fresh water. It lives in Lake Baikal, especially widely in its northern and middle parts. The size of males reaches a length of 1.8 m and a weight of 130-150 kg; females are smaller; can live up to 55 years. The seal gives birth to cubs on the shore, in a snowy lair. Most of the seals are born in mid-March. The cubs have white fur, which allows them to be invisible in the snow in the first weeks of life.
In June, on the shores of the Ushkany Islands, you can see especially many seals. At sunset, the seals begin a massive movement towards the islands. These animals are curious and sometimes swim up to drifting ships with the engine turned off, staying nearby for a long time and constantly emerging from the water.

seal classification

The Baikal seal, according to modern classification, belongs to the family of true seals (Phocidae), the genus Pusa. Researchers (in particular, K.K. Chapsky, a well-known specialist in pinnipeds in Russia and abroad) believe that the Baikal seal descended from a common ancestor with the northern ringed seal. At the same time, the parental forms of these two species are later than the Caspian seal.
The appearance of seals in Baikal
Until now, among scientists there is no single point of view on how this animal got into Baikal. Most researchers adhere to the point of view of I. D. Chersky that the seal entered Baikal from the Arctic Ocean through the Yenisei-Angara river system in the Ice Age, simultaneously with the Baikal omul. Other scientists do not exclude the possibility of its penetration along the Lena, into which, as they suggest, there was a runoff from Baikal.

The first description of the seal

It is mentioned in the reports of the first explorers who came here in the first half of the 17th century. A scientific description was first made during the work of the 2nd Kamchatka, or Great Northern, Expedition led by V. Bering. As part of this expedition, a detachment worked on Baikal under the leadership of I. G. Gmelin, who studied the nature of the lake and its environs in many ways and described the seal.
Did the seal live in the Baunt lakes?
According to the legend of local residents, seals quite recently (one or two centuries ago) met in the Baunt lakes (the Baunt lakes are connected with the Vitim river basin). It is believed that the seal got there along the Lena and Vitim. Some naturalists believe that the seal came to the Baunt Lakes from Baikal and that these lakes were allegedly connected with it. However, reliable data confirming this or that version has not yet been received.

Nutrition

The seal is fed by non-commercial fish (golomyanka, Baikal goby). Under experimental conditions (in an aquarium), the daily diet of seals was from 3 to 5 kg of fish. For a year, an adult seal eats up to 1 ton of fish. The main food of the seal is golomyanka-goby fish. Omul is caught in the food of the seal by chance and in very small quantities, no more than 1? 2% of the daily diet. Omul, as well as grayling and whitefish, is an energetic and swift fish, the seal simply cannot catch up with it.

Baikal seal population

According to the staff of the Limnological Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, there are currently about 60 thousand heads. The calculation is carried out in different ways. The fastest, but less reliable - visually from an aircraft that flies along a certain route grid. The census takers look out the window and mark each observed lair or take aerial photographs of the routes and count the lairs along them. And then they are already recalculated from a unit area to the entire water area of the lake. The second way is laying around Baikal about 100 accounting sites 1.5x1.5 km each. They go around on a motorcycle or go around on foot on the ice and count all the lairs that are found on the sites. Then the recalculation is carried out for the entire water area of the lake. And finally, the route method. On two or three motorcycles, a group of accountants makes routes across Lake Baikal at a certain distance from each other, sufficient to see all the dens encountered from a motorcycle. In recent years, the most accurate (maximum statistical error of 10%) has been used - areal - registration of seals. The largest age of seals in Baikal, determined by an employee of the Limnological Institute V. D. Pastukhov, is 56 years for females and 52 years for males. At age 3? 6 years old is capable of mating, offspring brings at the age of 4? 7 years. Males reach sexual maturity a year or two later. A seal's pregnancy lasts 11 months. It begins with embryonic diapause - a delay in the development of the embryo in the womb of the female by 3? 3.5 months. During her life, the female can probably bring up to two dozen or more cubs, given that she is capable of bringing offspring up to the age of 40. Females usually mate annually. However, annually up to 10? 20% of females remain barren for various reasons. This period stretches for more than a month - from the end of February to the beginning of April. Most of the seals appear in mid-March. They are born on ice, in a snow lair. In the first period, while feeding on mother's milk, they do not dive into the water, but prefer to lie down in the den.
Usually a seal gives birth to one, rarely two cubs. Newborn weight up to 4 kg. The cubs have white fur - this is their protective coloration. It allows them in the first weeks of life, while they feed on mother's milk, to remain almost invisible in the snow. With the transition to self-feeding by fish, seals molt, the fur gradually changes color to silver-gray in 2-3-month-olds, and then to brown-brown in older and adult individuals.
A baby seal is called a hubunk (Buryat kh u b u n - a cub of a wild animal). For the first time, a molted animal is called a kumatkan. St. John's slaughter goes mainly on kumatkans. The average weight of the seal in Baikal is about 50 kg, the maximum weight of males is 130-150 kg, the length is 1.7? 1.8 m. Females are smaller in size - 1.3? 1.6 m and up to 110 kg. Linear growth ends in seals by 17? 19 years, and weight continues for a number of years and is possible until the end of life.

Nerpa in numbers

Max speed 20? 25 km/h. But that's how fast she swims when she's out of danger. In a calm environment, it swims much more slowly - probably 10? 15 km/h.
According to fishermen, seals have been caught in nets at depths of up to 200 m, but, as a rule, they dive to much shallower depths. The seal finds food in a well-lit area (25 - 30 m) and, apparently, it does not need to dive deep. The seal is capable of diving up to 200 m, and can withstand a pressure of 21 atm.
According to observations, the seal sleeps in the water, as it is immobilized for quite a long time, probably as long as there is enough oxygen in the blood. During the sleep of the seal, scuba divers swam close to it, touched it and even turned it over, but the animal continued to sleep.
Under experimental conditions (in a large aquarium), when it was kept under water, the seal was there for up to 65 minutes. (record time). In nature, it happens under water up to 20? 25 minutes is enough for her to get food or get away from danger.

seal wintering

On ice in lairs under snow, often in hummocky areas of Lake Baikal.
When the lake is ice-bound, the seal can breathe only through vents - vents - spare holes in the ice. The seal makes air by raking the ice from below with the claws of the forelimbs. Around her lair there are up to a dozen or more auxiliary vents, which can be tens or even hundreds of meters away from the main one. The airways are usually round in shape. Auxiliary products size 10? 15 cm (sufficient to stick your nose above the surface of the water), and the main air - up to 40? 50 cm. From below, the vents have the shape of an overturned funnel - they expand significantly downwards. Interestingly, the ability to make produkh is an innate instinct. In the experimental aquarium for seals to rest on the water surface, a small floating platform made of 5 cm foam plastic was installed, and the rest of the aquarium was with open water. Young seals of a month and two months of age made holes in the foam, raking it with their claws from below, put their nose out and breathed into the air, although there was open water nearby. "Saturated" with air, they again went under the water. It should be noted that seals were caught at a week or two weeks of age, when they were still feeding on their mother's milk. I had to feed them with condensed milk through a nipple from a bottle, like children. They did not swim in the water then and were afraid of the water. And when they grew up, they showed what they are capable of.

fishing

Along with legal hunting, poaching still occurs. Especially cruel is the hunt for seal cubs under the age of several months, despite the fact that this is prohibited by law.

SEALS SEALS

(Pusa), a genus of seals. Sometimes included in the genus of common seals (Phoca). Length up to 1.5 m, weight up to 100 kg. 3 types. Ringed N. (P. hispida) is common in temperate and cold waters of the Atlantic. and the Pacific Oceans and circumpolar to the North. Arctic ca.; in the USSR in all sowing. seas, as well as in the Bering and Okhotsk (called Akiba). It feeds on fish and crustaceans in the upper layers of the water. Breeds on ice. Sometimes forms large clusters. Number OK. 5 million individuals (70s of the 20th century). An important object of limited fishing. Ladoga (P. h. ladogensis) and Baltic (P. h. botnica) subspecies - in the Red Book of the USSR; 1 subspecies in the IUCN Red List. Caspian N., or the Caspian seal (P. caspica), lives in the Caspian m. Number. 400-450 thousand (80s of the 20th century). Fishing is limited (about 40-45 thousand seals per year). Baikal N., or Baikal seal (P. sibirica), lives in Baikal. Number 60-70 thousand individuals (80s of the 20th century). Fishing is limited (about 6 thousand per year). (see 40_TABLE_40) fig. 12.

.(Source: "Biological Encyclopedic Dictionary." Chief editor M. S. Gilyarov; Editorial board: A. A. Babaev, G. G. Vinberg, G. A. Zavarzin and others - 2nd ed., corrected . - M .: Sov. Encyclopedia, 1986.)

seals

Genus of aquatic mammals. seals. Includes 3 types. Length body up to 1.5 m, weight up to 100 kg. The ringed seal lives in the temperate and cold waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans and circumpolar in the Arctic Ocean. Object of limited trade. Included in the IUCN Red List. Baltic subspecies in the IUCN and Russian Red Data Books. The Caspian seal lives in the Caspian Sea. Fishing is strictly limited. The Baikal seal lives in Lake Baikal. Fishing has been prohibited since 1980. It is listed in the IUCN Red List as a species close to extinction.

.(Source: "Biology. Modern Illustrated Encyclopedia." Editor-in-Chief A.P. Gorkin; M.: Rosmen, 2006.)

See what "NERPA" is in other dictionaries:

Baikal seal ... Wikipedia

SEALs, a genus of aquatic mammals (family true seals). Body length up to 150 cm, weight up to 90 100 kg. 3 species, in the northern subpolar latitudes of the World Ocean, in the Caspian and Baltic seas, in lakes Baikal, Saimaa and Ladoga. Back coloring... Modern Encyclopedia

seals Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

seals proper- žieduotieji ruoniai statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas gentis apibrėžtis Gentyje 3 rūšys. Paplitimo arealas - Š. pusrutulio užšalancios jūros. atitikmenys: lot. Pusa English. Baikal and Caspian seals; ringed vok. Kleinrobben eng.… … Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

Sort of Nerpa- 4.3.1. Seal genus Phoca The smallest of the real seals (length 1 2 m). The muzzle is wide, short. They move on short front flippers, the longest fingers of which are the 1st and 2nd. They breed most often on ice. There are no harems. Newborns… … Animals of Russia. Directory

Baikal seal Scientific classification Kingdom: Animals Type: Chordates ... Wikipedia

This term has other meanings, see Nerpa. Baikal seal ... Wikipedia

The species belonging to this family have very diverse body sizes: from 1.2 to 6.0 m. Unlike the species of the two previous families, in true seals, the hind flippers do not bend at the heel joint and cannot serve ... ... Biological Encyclopedia

- (Phocidae)* * Seals are a family of aquatic predators, apparently related to mustelids, primarily otters. Characteristic signs are the absence of the external ear and the hind limbs directed backwards, not bending at the heel joint and not ... ... Animal life

Books

Unexplored Baikal, Valery Maleev. About the book You will find stunning photographs taken on the protected shores of the deepest lake on the planet: majestic mountains, flowering summer meadows, winter ice caves, sunrises and sunsets, and ...