Endemic Animals of Russia

Baikal seals are tiny seals that are members of the family Phocidae. They are native to Siberia and live only within Lake Baikal, from where their common name comes. They are the only type of freshwater seal type and it is still unknown how they arrived in the lake, thousands of kilometers from a seal’s traditional habitat of the sea. The theory is that seals went along the Yenisey and Angara rivers to the Baikal and settled there. The existence o ...
f an underground channel between the lake and Lena River and the lake was also proposed, but no scientific basis has been found for this. Less

The snow sheep, or Siberian bighorn sheep, is a species of sheep from the mountainous areas in the northeast of Siberia. One subspecies, the Putorana snow sheep, lives isolated from the other forms in the Putoran Mountains. Less

The Arctic lemming is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. Although generally classified as a "least concern" species, the Novaya Zemlya subspecies is considered a vulnerable species under Russian nature conservation legislation . Less

The Ladoga ringed seal, is a freshwater subspecies of the ringed seal which are found entirely in Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. The subspecies evolved during the last ice age, about 11,000 years ago. As the glaciers retreated and water levels changed, the Baltic ringed seal was trapped in freshwater lakes and separated from the Arctic ringed seal. It is related to the even smaller population of Saimaa ringed seals in Lake Saimaa, a lake ...
that flows into Ladoga through the Vuoksi River. Less

The Siberian lynx, also known as the East Siberian lynx, is a subspecies of Eurasian lynx living in the Russian Far East. It lives in the Stanovoy Range and east of the Yenisei River. There were 5,890 mature individuals in the Russian Far East as of 2013. Prey include the Siberian roe deer. The Siberian lynx is the second most common subspecies of the Eurasian lynx. According to a study done on the mortality of Eurasian lynx, the Siberian lynx ...
lives to an average age of 15 years. Less

The tundra bean goose is a goose that breeds in northern Siberia. This and the taiga bean goose are recognised as separate species by the American Ornithological Society and International Ornithologists' Union, but are considered a single species by other authorities . It is migratory and winters further south in Asia. The taiga and tundra bean goose diverged about 2.5 million years ago and established secondary contact ca. 60,000 years ago, ...
resulting in extensive gene flow. Less

Panthera tigris acutidens is an extinct tiger subspecies, which was scientifically described in 1928 based on fossils excavated near Wanhsien in southern China's Sichuan Province. Otto Zdansky named it Felis acutidens. After the fossils were re-examined in 1947, they were attributed to Panthera tigris acutidens by Dirk Albert Hooijer and Walter W. Granger. Less

The Siberian nuthatch is a small passerine bird of the family Sittidae, found in Eastern Siberia. Until 2006, it was usually treated as a subspecies of the Eurasian nuthatch . The split was accepted by the British Ornithologists' Union in 2012. Less

Anser djuktaiensis or Dyuktai goose is an extinct goose, similar to but larger than the extant greylag goose, the remains of which have been found in the Dyuktai Cave near the Dyuktai River in Yakutia, Russia. The cave is dated from Upper Pleistocene to possibly Holocene in age. Less

Vipera orlovi is a species of venomous snake in the family Viperidae. The species is endemic to Russia. Less

Darevskia szczerbaki, Szczerbak's lizard, is a lizard species in the genus Darevskia. It is endemic to Russia. Less

Darevskia saxicola is a lizard species in the genus Darevskia. It is found in Georgia, Russia, and Turkey. Less

The black-capped marmot is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to the Russian Far East, but its range is discontinuous and divided into three main parts, each with its own subspecies. The black-capped marmot lives in arctic tundra and alpine habitats from near sea-level to an altitude of 2,000 m . Depending on exact subpopulation, they hibernate for 6 Less

The giant mole-rat or Russian mole-rat is a species of rodent in the family Spalacidae found in a limited area of Kazakhstan and southern Russia. It feeds on roots and tubers and lives underground in a burrow that it digs with its teeth. Less

The forest-steppe marmot is a rodent species of the marmot genus found in south-central Russia. It lives in wooded forest steppe at an altitude of 180 Less

The Turuchan pika is a species of pika found in isolated regions in the Central Siberian Plateau. It is a small rock dwelling species that is active during the day due to the low temperature at night. It was previously thought to be a subspecies of the northern pika. Little is known about this species, but is known to be locally abundant. Less

The Amur lemming is a species of lemmings found near the Amur River in Siberia. Less

The northern collared lemming or Nearctic collared lemming, sometimes called the Peary Land collared lemming in Canada, is a small lemming found in Arctic North America and Wrangel Island. At one time, it was considered to be a subspecies of the Arctic lemming . Some sources believe several other species of collared lemmings found in North America are actually subspecies of D. groenlandicus. Less

The East Siberian lemming, Eastern Siberian brown lemming, or Ognev's lemming is a species of lemming endemic to Russia, where it has a disjunct distribution throughout parts of Siberia east of the Verkhoyansk Range. Less

The Caucasian Mountain ground squirrel is a species of rodent in the family Sciuridae. It is endemic to the North Caucasus. Less

The lemming vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in the Russian Federation. Less

The Lake Baikal mountain vole or Olkhon mountain vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found principally on the Olkhon and Ogoi islands on Lake Baikal, in southern Siberia. While it was originally described as a species, Pavlinov and Rossolimo reassigned it as a subspecies of A. tuvinicus in 1987 before reinstating it as a species in 1998. Less

The Kamchatka shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Russia. Less

The Muisk vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in Russia. Less

Middendorf's vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in Russia, most commonly north Siberia. Less

The Evorsk vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in Russia. They are stout rodents with short ears, legs and tails. These animals live in grassy areas where they eat green vegetation such as grasses and sedges in summer, and grains, seeds, roots and bark at other times. Less

The Paramushir shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae. It is endemic to Russia. Its natural habitat is temperate forests. It is threatened by habitat loss. Less

The Sakhalin vole is a species of rodent in the family Cricetidae. It is found only in Russia. Less

Portenko's shrew is a species of mammal in the family Soricidae that is endemic to Russia. Less

Obesotoma gigas is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Mangeliidae. Less

Antiplanes abyssalis is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Pseudomelatomidae. Less

Oenopota valentina is a species of sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Mangeliidae. Less