Baikal Seal

🐾 All About the Baikal Seal
The only seal in the world that lives only in freshwater! 🧊🦭🌍

📖 Quick Overview

🌟 What Is a Baikal Seal?

The Baikal Seal (also called “Nerpa”) is a freshwater seal that lives only in Lake Baikal, in Russia!

It has:

• A chubby, round body
• Big, dark eyes (great for low light)
• Short flippers but strong swimmers
• A soft gray or silvery coat that gets darker with age

They are one of the smallest true seals in the world and super adorable!

📍 Where Do Baikal Seals Live?

These seals are found nowhere else on Earth—just in Lake Baikal, Siberia.

🗺️ Home:

• Lake Baikal is the deepest and oldest lake in the world
• Water is very cold and super clear

🌊 Habitat:

• Lives in icy water year-round
• Makes holes in the ice to breathe in winter
• Uses rocky shores and islands for resting and breeding

🍽️ What Do Baikal Seals Eat?

Baikal seals are expert fish hunters!

🍴 Favorite snacks:

• Golomyanka (a fat-rich, see-through fish only found in Lake Baikal!)
• Sculpin
• Small crustaceans

They dive deep (up to 300 meters!) and can stay underwater for over 20 minutes!

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Family and Groups

Baikal seals live alone most of the year but come together in colonies during breeding season.

👶 Baby Seal = Pup

• Pups are born in snow dens in winter
• Have fluffy white fur that keeps them warm
• Stay with mom for about 2–3 months to learn how to swim and hunt

💪 Brilliant Baikal Seal Powers

• Can hold breath for up to 70 minutes!
• Has excellent night vision for deep, dark water
• Thick blubber keeps them warm in icy water
• Digs ice holes to breathe all winter long
• Can live over 50 years—super long for a seal!

💡 Fun Facts About Baikal Seals

• Only seal species that lives in freshwater year-round
• Lake Baikal is over 25 million years old—the perfect ancient home
• They sometimes “sing” underwater with chirps and clicks
• Baikal pups can weigh only 10 pounds when born, but grow fast!
• Locals in Siberia call them “Nerpa”

🛑 Are Baikal Seals in Danger?

Currently, they are listed as Least Concern 🟢, but they still face some risks:

• Pollution in the lake
• Fishing nets can accidentally trap seals
• Climate change is melting lake ice earlier in the season
• Human development near the shoreline

Conservation efforts are helping, but they need clean water and safe habitats to stay healthy.

💚 How Can We Help?

• Learn about freshwater ecosystems
• Support groups that protect Lake Baikal and its wildlife
• Keep plastic and trash out of rivers and lakes
• Share the story of the world’s only freshwater seal!

✏️ Activity: Create a Baikal Seal Scene!

🎨 Grab paper, crayons, or clay to:

• Draw a round, chubby Baikal seal on a frozen lake
• Add ice holes, tiny fish, and snow-covered mountains
• Give your seal a name and write a mini-adventure story!

✅ Summary