baikal seal
Russia’s Lake Baikal has garnered many superlatives: the world’s deepest lake, the largest freshwater lake by volume, and the world’s oldest. It is also one of the clearest bodies of water on the planet and home to many species of plants and animals endemic to the region. One such species is the Baikal seal, known locally as nerpa. It is one of the smallest pinnipeds in the world and is only found in this lake.
Baikal seals are normally very shy, but the young ones are the exception. Nerpa females give birth in March, in snow-covered burrows on the ice. Newborn pups are covered with white fur, are unable to swim and it is impossible to get close without scaring them. But within a few weeks their fur becomes thicker and grey, and the pup is ready to explore the depths of the lake and the magical world below the ice.
