Lake Baikal is home to thousands of species of plants and animals, many of them endemic to the region.
Lake Baikal, lake located in the southern part of eastern Siberia in Russia. It is the oldest existing freshwater lake on Earth (20 million-25 million years old), as well as the deepest continental body of water, having a maximum depth of 5,315 feet (1,620 meters).
It is the deepest, oldest and largest freshwater lake by volume, containing one fifth of the world’s fresh water. The 25-million old lake has a maximum depth of 1,642 meters and is a living museum, boasting approximately 1,700 animal and plant species, out of which two thirds are endemic.
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.
It is fished, smoked, and sold on all markets around the lake. For many travellers on the Trans-Siberian railway, purchasing smoked omul is one of the highlights of the long journey. Baikal also has a species of seals, Baikal seal or nerpa. Bears and deer can be seen and hunted by the Baikal coast.