Lake Baikal - A Global Ecoregion
Almost 1,800 m deep and more than 1,100 miles long
Snapshot: Ecoregion 184
Size:
123,000 sq. km (48,000 sq. miles)
Habitat type:
Large Lakes
Geographic Location:
Central Asia: Eastern Russia
Conservation Status:
Vulnerable
Quiz Time!
How is the Baikal seal different from other seals?
Answer:
Known locally as the nerpa, the Baikal is the only landlocked seal in the world. Unlike other seals, it lives all year round in or near fresh water and never enters the ocean to breed or migrate. The nerpa's presence in Lake Baikal indicates that the ecoregion was once connected to the Arctic Ocean, possibly by a large river that no longer exists.
About the Area
Due to 25 million years of isolation and a diversity of deep-water habitats, the biodiversity of Lake Baikal - the deepest lake in the world - is unrivaled. It holds one-fifth of the world's fresh water and is so large that it has been called an inland sea.
Among the lake's many habitats are recently discovered hydrothermal vents at a depth of about 400 meters that support sponges, bacterial mats, snails, transparent shrimp, and fish. There are about 2,500 species of known plants and animals in the lake, of which 1,500 are endemic.Local Species
The water here is crystal clear and pure due to unique underwater reefs of living sponges that filter bacteria and algae from the water, and support a great diversity of fish, crustaceans, mollusks, and other invertebrates.
Oxygen circulates to greater depths in Lake Baikal than other lakes, so creatures can survive even in very deep water. The amazing aquatic diversity of the lake includes 147 species of snails, 255 species of shrimp-like amphipod species, and 80 species of flatworm.
Several large endemic fish inhabit deeper waters and form part of the prey base of the endemic Baikal seal (Phoca sibirica), the only entirely landlocked seal species in the world. Lake Baikal's fish are distinguished by a "flock" of 36 species in the sculpin family Cottidae, an endemic family (Comephoridae), and distinct stocks of Coregonus, Thymallus, and Lota species.
Threats
Although industrial development is significant, natural habitats are not as highly fragmented as in other regions of Russia. Major threats stem from industrial pollution, forest clearance, fires, agriculture, and grazing.
Resources
• NationalGeographic.com
