- Mammals. Baikal seal. ...
- Birds. Mongolian gulls on Baikal. ...
- Fish. Two species of grayling (Thymallus baikalensis and T. brevipinnis) are found only in Baikal and rivers that drain into the lake. ...
- Amphipod, isopod, cladoceran and ostracod crustaceans.
Unique Wildlife Among these interesting creatures are the Baikal omul fish, Baikal oil fish and most notably, the Baikal seal or nerpa as they are called in Russian. This is one of the only seal species to live entirely in fresh water.
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The largest species is the Siberian sturgeon, which sometimes measures more than 6 1/2 feet (2 meters) long. The only mammal is the Baikal seal. The first hydrothermal vents, or hot-water springs, ever discovered in a freshwater lake were found at the bottom of Lake Baikal in 1990.
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Not only is Lake Baikal safe to swim in, but it also boasts some of the purest water in the world. The only drawback is the temperature - even during the warmer months, a dip in the lake is pretty invigorating.
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Forming c. 12 million years ago, the largest lake ever known to have existed on Earth is Megalake Paratethys, which extended from the eastern Alps of Europe to what is now Kazakhstan in central Asia.
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Baikal is one of the few lakes on the planet in which, according to the standards, it is allowed to take water for drinking from open reservoirs. Water is extracted from special layers of the lake, which were on the surface of the lake hundreds of years ago, from a depth of 400m.
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Dimensions of Lake Baikal: It is 636 km long, 79 km wide. There are 27 islands in Lake Baikal, most of them being uninhabited. Baikal Lake's coastline measures 2100 kilometers (around 1300 miles). More than 300 streams and rivers flow into Lake Baikal, but there is just one outlet, the Angara.
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Each Epischura is no bigger than a poppyseed, but there are zillions floating through Baikal, which together form an incredibly efficient filtration system. They suck tiny scraps of food out of the lake, and along with them any specks of pollution they encounter. It's the Epischura that keep Baikal's water so pure.
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Trekking on Baikal ice This is an expedition for those who are ready to test their strength. Your main goal is to cross Baikal on foot in its widest part. You can face with the strong winds and blizzards. But if you are not afraid of difficulties and are ready for field conditions, you will enjoy this route!
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When walking on Lake Baikal in winter, you might feel like you are walking on air. The translucent ice covering all 31,722 square kilometers is a popular and beautiful mode of transportation, from walking trails to ice highways.
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Situated in south-east Siberia, the 3.15-million-ha Lake Baikal is the oldest (25 million years) and deepest (1,700 m) lake in the world. It contains 20% of the world's total unfrozen freshwater reserve.
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