Physiology of the Baikal seal

Baikal seal: what is it like

The lake baikal seal measures in height from 17.8 centimeters to 4.5 meters, with a body length ranging from 1 to 1.4 meters and a mass between 49.13 and 58.99 kilograms; the species exhibits significant size variation throughout its development. During the embryo stage, the young have a body mass from 1 gram to 4 kilograms and a body length from 1 to 50 centimeters. As a newborn, the lake baikal seal’s body mass is from 3 to 20 kilograms, with a body length of 60 to 85 centimeters. The adult lake baikal seals have a body mass between 70 and 130 kilograms and a body length from 1.1 to 1.4 meters.

Mass
49130–58994 g
Length
1000–1400 mm
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lake-baikal-seal
en
Lake baikal seal
Pusa sibirica
The Baikal seal is the only seal in the world that lives exclusively in freshwater. This mammal inhabits Lake Baikal in Siberia and is perfectly adapted to cold conditions.
The Baikal seal differs from marine seals in that it spends its entire life in a freshwater lake. It is important for the nature of Baikal because it regulates the number of fish and serves as an indicator of water purity.
hunting in water
trophic:carnivore
feeding_sense:lateral_line
#eae8e3
Mass (adult seal, male)
50000–90000 g
Mass (pup)
3000–20000 g
Mass (adult seal, female)
50000–95000 g
Mass (embryo)
1–4000 g
Length (adult seal, female)
1000–1300 mm
Length (adult seal, male)
1100–1400 mm
Length (embryo)
10–500 mm
Length (pup)
600–850 mm
Height
178–4500 mm
Maturity
1597–2661 days 4–7 years
Lifespan maximum
20454 days 56 years
Theoretical lifespan
10227–20454 days 28–56 years
Gestation
273 days 9 months
Litter size
1
Maturity
1460–2920 days 4–8 years
Offspring
1
Duration (embryo)
240–300 days 8–10 months
Duration (pup)
61.2–74.8 days 2 months
Duration (adult seal)
1460–18250 days 4–50 years
Age (embryo)
276 days 9 months 1 week
Age (from birth to death)
10227–20454 days 28–56 years
Age (juvenile)
1597–2661 days 4–7 years
Repro interval
365 days 1 year
Flippers count (adult seal)
4
Body size (adult seal)
1000–1400 mm
Flippers size (adult seal)
200–350 mm
Whiskers size (adult seal)
0.05–0.12 mm
Reproduction
normal sexual
Comparable in mass
Nightstand
Trophic type
carnivore
Feeding
icefish
Feeding
perch
Feeding
bullheads
Feeding
other lake fish
Feeding
small fish
Feeding (pup)
milk
Feeding (after transformation until death)
fish
Reproduction
caring mother
Reproduction
nest on the ground
Reproduction
in a terrestrial nest
Reproduction
live birth
Reproduction
land
Physiology
The ringed seal molts in spring on ice or shore. Old fur is replaced by new while the animal rests.
10227.0
20454.0
1000.0
1400.0
49129.721105931756
58994.05760029504
The ringed seal molts in spring on ice or shore. Old fur is replaced by new while the animal rests.
-1
-1
homogamy, reproduction always with fertilization, no alternation of generations
Worker
Were {name} like {animal}, then:
birth time
breeding
Dogs, dolphins, lynx hang out for 9-25 years and party on their birthday three times a year
m
Map
will celebrate their {n} birthday
winter almost without rain, but lots of snow
g
summer mild, +15…+20 °C
t
When your next jubilee falls in {name} life years
Human
very cold, short summer, almost no trees, lots of moss
days
snow
How old you would be if you lived as {name}
Theoretical maximum lifespan estimated from the Dynamic Energy Budget (DEB) mathematical model. This value reflects a biological potential derived from metabolic parameters, not from direct observation — real recorded lifespans are often significantly shorter.
whiskers
adult seal
Maturity
Nightstand
fish of small size
other lake fish
Winter is dry and snowy
About health
milk
cool, lots of coniferous trees, snow in winter
When your next birthday would fall if you lived as {name}
Repro interval
results
Colors
Cool summer
Sex
protection from cold
Upcoming jubilees
Gremllins
mo
live fish
little precipitation in winter, more in summer
alpine meadows and arctic tundra on land
Trophic type
Filters
small fish
Palearctic realm
den
Upcoming birthdays
standing fresh waters — lakes, ponds, oxbow lakes
Winter with snow
eggs, roe or offspring develop in a nest built on the ground or close to it
Truly long lives: 40-100 years. Bowhead whales, albatrosses, giant tortoises recall their birthday at most once a year
Lifespan
Height
nest on the ground
young are born live on land, not hatched from eggs or roe
Age (juvenile)
Age (from birth to death)
Age (embryo)
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
Wanderers
Jubilee = every 10th birthday
More:
Tundra
Earliest developmental stage inside an egg or womb.
Business sausages
Very cold winter and hot summer
Lifespan average
nest located directly on the ground surface on land, only the mother provides parental care for the offspring
in a terrestrial nest
Whiskers size
live birth
What do they look like?
Maturity
emergence (insects)
end of lifespan
How do they live?
fertilization / egg laying
How do they behave?
birth / hatching
metamorphosis / end of larval stage
fish
end of acceleration
Share
swampy freshwater biotopes — peat bogs, marshes, river mangroves
Find a pet...
Mature, fully developed individual capable of reproduction.
Freshwater
very cold winter and very hot summer
Actively hunting and capturing live prey.
Pets
all rivers and lakes
Lots of rain and cool summer
lateral line
{name} jubilee
cm
Temperate coniferous forest
Old-timers
Find an animal or breed...
Flippers count
turns
Rascals
terrestrial forest
Flooded grasslands
drink mother's milk in childhood
Litter size
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0
How to care for them?
Living from 25 to 40 years. Orangutans, bald eagles, African elephants celebrate their birthday twice a year
°C
Not specified
Share
alpine and arctic tundra
hunting in water
winter almost without rain, but lots of snow
Where are they found?
all rivers and lakes
Whiskers color
lots of rain, cool summer, snow in winter
Low precipitation in winter
Locomotion through water employed while searching for or capturing prey.
Legendary longevity: over 100 years. Galapagos tortoises, Greenland sharks, ocean quahogs celebrate with family once every 4 years
Offspring
Elders
Bro
lakes and ponds
normal sexual
freshwater marsh and wetlands
Taxons
carnivore
if born as {name}
age
birth date
swimming
Palearctic realm
rest
Fur color
Close
was
Career from 7 to 15 months. Dwarf hamsters, voles, field crickets celebrate their birthday twice a month
The basics
My weight?
Non-stop carnival: they only live a few days. Mayflies, rotifers, midges celebrate their birthday more than twice a day
primary food sources
after transformation until death
Potential Habitat
d
In husbandry
On the go from 1.3 to 3.5 years. Forest mice, anoles, rainbow fish party on their birthday once a month
Feeding occurs in water bodies such as rivers, lakes, or oceans.
Mass
cold winter, lots of coniferous trees: spruce, pine
Mosquitoes, fruit flies, small crustaceans hustle for up to 7 months and throw a birthday party every week
Gestation
Body size
aquatic
land
vision
{name} birthday
Link copied
No results found
On the map
Pleasant summer
all life stages
Female ♀
Body color
nest located directly on the ground surface on land
Dry and snowy winter
Map data sources: Ecosystem classification — IUCN Global Ecosystem Typology (Keith et al., 2022), indicative distribution maps Keith et al. (2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3546513; Large Marine Ecosystems — NOAA LME Program; Bathymetry — GEBCO Bathymetric Compilation Group (2026), GEBCO_2026 Grid, https://doi.org/10.5285/4f68d5c7-45eb-f999-e063-7086abc036fa; Climate data — Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information; Species occurrence data — GBIF.org, Derived dataset "all animals", https://zveriki.com/dataset/dataset.tsv; Terrestrial ecoregions — RESOLVE Ecoregions 2017 (Dinerstein et al., 2017), CC BY 4.0 Potential habitat modelled from GBIF occurrence data. Map © Zveriki.com, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
birth year
Shelter used specifically for reproduction or nesting.
Maturity
terrestrial habitat, land surface outside water
sq mm
yr
comfortable summer, +20…+25 °C
How similar?
Male ♂
until the celebration
pup
age as {name}
How do they breed?
On the go from 3.5 to 6 years. Hedgehogs, crows, lizards treat themselves to birthday snacks 6 times a year
What if eaten?
Neither
from birth to adulthood
Young offspring still dependent on parental care.
caring mother
What do they eat?
Where do they live?
Immature individual that has not yet reached reproductive maturity.
much snow in winter, cold
perch
forests on land — tropical, temperate, boreal
water often floods the land, lots of grass
icefish
Flippers color
Freshwater
6 to 47 kilograms, 0.9 – 2.5 meters
Duration
Flippers size
This is me
most of Europe and Asia, various forests, steppes and tundra
freshwater
Gamers
How are they built?
mm
Theoretical lifespan
ml
Stars
Link copied
My age?
wk
My size?
terrestrial
Taiga
Asexual
swap
freshwater environment — rivers, lakes, ponds, swamps
active predation
Who among us will transform as if by magic and become like {animal}?
Rabbits, falcons, red-eared turtles hang out for 6-9 years and party on their birthday four times a year
Where do they take shelter?
Sensory system detecting water movements to locate prey.
inhabit and develop on land, outside water bodies
celebrated their {n} birthday
When you would have been born if you lived as {name}
Daddies
Lifespan maximum
bullheads
Hermaphrodite ⚥
Primarily detects and locates food using eyesight.
embryo
Length
kg
Observations
◉{N} more on tap
pup
pupa
imago
adolescent
adolescent
lake-baikal-seal
bajkalskaya-nerpa
baykal-suitisi
fqmt-baykal
bajkalskaya-nerpa
lake-baikal-seal
baikaruazarashi
baik-alis-selap-i
bajkalskaya-nerpa
baikalmulbeom
bajkalskaya-nerpa
bajkalska-foka
lake-baikal-seal
bajkalskaya-nerpa
bei-jia-er-hai-bao