Editing Baikal seal (section)

==Distribution==
[[File:Из жизни байкальской нерпы близ Ушканьих островов 03.jpg|thumb|left|Group of Baikal seals hauling out on a rock around [[Ushkan Islands]], [[Barguzinsky District|Barguzinsky district]]]] 
The Baikal seal lives only in the waters of [[Lake Baikal]]; they are [[Endemism|endemic]] there.<ref name=Schofield2001>{{cite news| url=http://www.themoscowtimes.com/stories/2001/07/27/106.html| title=Lake Baikal's Vanishing Nerpa Seal| last=Schofield| first=James| newspaper=[[The Moscow Times]]| date=27 July 2001| access-date=2007-09-27}}</ref> 

The areas of the lake in which the Baikal seals reside change depending on the season, as well as other [[Natural environment|environmental]] factors. They are solitary animals for the majority of the year, sometimes living kilometres away from other Baikal seals. In general, a higher concentration of Baikal seals is found in the northern parts of the lake, because the longer winter keeps the ice frozen longer, which is preferable for pupping.<ref name=Pastukhov/> However, in recent years, migrations to the southern half of the lake have occurred, possibly to evade [[Seal hunting|hunters]].<ref name=SCS/> In winter, when the lake is frozen over, seals maintain a few breathing holes over a given area and tend to remain nearby, not interfering with the food supplies of nearby seals. When the ice begins to melt, Baikal seals tend to keep to the shoreline.