The Baikal seal, also known as Lake Baikal seal or Baikal nerpa, is a species of earless seal endemic to Lake Baikal in Siberia, Russia. Like the Caspian seal, it is related to the Arctic ringed seal. The Baikal seal is one of the smallest true seals and the only exclusively freshwater pinniped species. A subpopulation of inland harbour seals living in the Hudson Bay region of Quebec, Canada,, as well as the Saimaa ringed seal and the Ladoga seal, are also found in fresh water, but these seals are part of species that also have marine populations.
The Cottidae are a family of fish in the superfamily Cottoidea, the sculpins. It is the largest sculpin family, with about 275 species in 70 genera. They are referred to simply as cottids to avoid confusion with sculpins of other families.
The Abyssocottinae are a subfamily of ray-finned fishes in the family Cottidae, the sculpins. They are known commonly as the deep-water sculpins. The entire subfamily is endemic to Lake Baikal in Siberia.
The tench or doctor fish is a fresh- and brackish-water fish of the order Cypriniformes found throughout Eurasia from Western Europe including Britain and Ireland east into Asia as far as the Ob and Yenisei Rivers. It is also found in Lake Baikal. It normally inhabits slow-moving freshwater habitats, particularly lakes and lowland rivers.
Cottus is a genus of the mainly freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. They are often referred to as the "freshwater sculpins", as they are the principal genus of sculpins to be found in fresh water. They are native to the Palearctic and Nearctic.
Asprocottus is a genus of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. These fishes are endemic to endemic to Lake Baikal in Russia.
Batrachocottus is a genus of freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. These fishes are endemic to the Lake Baikal watershed in Russia.
Asprocottus abyssalisis a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. These sculpins are endemic to Lake Baikal in Russia. It was described by Dmitrii Nikolaevich Taliev in 1955, originally as a subspecies of Asprocottus herzensteini. It is a freshwater fish which is endemic to Lake Baikal, Russia. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 150–1400 metres.
Herzenstein's rough sculpin is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. These sculpins are endemic to Lake Baikal in Russia. It was described by Lev Berg in 1906. It dwells at a depth range of 22–887 metres, and is abundantly found below 60 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 11.5 centimetres.
Asprocottus intermedius is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It was described by Dmitrii Nikolaevich Taliev in 1955, originally as a subspecies of Asprocottus herzensteini. It is a freshwater fish which is endemic to Lake Baikal, Russia. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 200–800 metres.
Asprocottus korjakovi is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is endemic to the ancient lake Baikal in Siberia. It is a member of the deepwater sculpin family Abyssocottidae, and was described scientifically by Valentina Sideleva in 2001.
Asprocottus parmiferus is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins.. It was described by Dmitrii Nikolaevich Taliev in 1955, originally as a subspecies of Asprocottus herzensteini. It is a freshwater fish which is endemic to Lake Baikal, Russia. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 50–500 metres.
Asprocottus platycephalus is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It was described by Dmitrii Nikolaevich Taliev in 1955, originally as a subspecies of Asprocottus herzensteini. It is a freshwater fish which is endemic to Lake Baikal, Russia. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 50–800 metres, most commonly between 250 and 460 m. Males can reach a maximum total length of 10.5 centimetres.
Asprocottus pulcher is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It was described by Dmitrii Nikolaevich Taliev in 1955. It is a freshwater fish which is endemic to Lake Baikal, Russia. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 50–250 metres.
Cyphocottus eurystomus is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. These sculpins are endemic to Lake Baikal in Russia. It was described by Dmitrii Nikolaevich Taliev in 1955, originally as a subspecies of Asprocottus megalops. It is a freshwater fish which is endemic to Lake Baikal, Russia. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 50–600 metres.
Limnocottus griseus is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It was described by Dmitrii Nikolaevich Taliev in 1955, originally as a subspecies of Abyssocottus godlewskii. It is a freshwater fish which is endemic to Lake Baikal, Russia. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 250–1300 metres.
Neocottus thermalis is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It was described by Valentina Grigorievna Sideleva in 2002. It is a freshwater, deep water-dwelling fish which is endemic to Lake Baikal, in Russia. It is known to dwell at a depth range of 430 to 480 metres.
Procottus gotoi is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. It is endemic to Lake Baikal in Siberia. This species was first formally described in 2001 by Valentina Grigorievna Sideleva.
Procottus gurwicii, the dwarf sculpin, is a species of freshwater fish endemic to Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, Russia. It was discovered in 1946 when a single male specimen was found in the coastal waters of the lake, at a depth of about 93 metres. The specimen measured a total length of 6.2 centimetres.
Procottus jeittelesii, the red sculpin or red Baikal sculpin, is a species of ray-finned fish belonging to the family Cottidae, the typical sculpins. This species is endemic to Lake Baikal in Russia. It is a freshwater fish that dwells under stones or in holes in the mud at a depth range of 0 to 800 m. It is often found at around 100 m (330 ft), and is most abundant during the autumn and winter. From the late winter to the spring it breeds at depths of 5 to 30 m. It can reach a maximum length of 18 cm (7.1 in), but typically is 10–12 cm (3.9–4.7 in). It has a red spotted or banded pattern on a light background. The red sculpin resembles two of its close relatives, the smaller P. gurwici and the larger P. major.
