Baikal seal
| Baikal seal | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Chordata |
| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Carnivora |
| Parvorder: | Pinnipedia |
| Family: | Phocidae |
| Genus: | Pusa |
| Species: | P. sibirica |
| Binomial name | |
| Pusa sibirica Gmelin, 1788 | |
| Baikal seal range | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Phoca sibirica | |
The Baikal seal (Pusa sibirica), also known as Lake Baikal seal or Baikal nerpa (нерпа), is a species of earless seal endemic to Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia. The Baikal seal is one of the smallest earless/true seals, and the only exclusively freshwater pinniped species. The related Caspian seal inhabits another large, inland body of water, the Caspian Sea. Both species are closely related to the ringed seal, which inhabits the Arctic Ocean.
A subpopulation of inland harbour seals living in the Hudson Bay region of Quebec, Canada (the Lacs des Loups Marins harbour seals), as well as the Saimaa ringed seal and the Ladoga seal (both ringed seal subspecies), are also found in fresh water, but these seals are part of species that also have marine populations, instead of being distinct species.
The most recent population estimates are 80,000 to 100,000 animals, roughly equaling the expected carrying capacity of the lake. At present, the species is not considered threatened.