Caspian Seal | Handbook of the Mammals of Europe
© 2025. E.A. Rustamov (1),* A.V. Belousova (2). Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
1) Ramsar Regional Initiatives of Central Asia, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan;
(2) All-Russian Research Institute for Environmental Protection, VNII Ecology, Moscow, Russia.
*E-mail: elldaru@mail.ru (Eldar Anverovich Rustamov).
Caspian Seal Pusa capsica (Gmelin, 1788) | Handbook of the Mammals of Europe
In 2025, Springer Nature Switzerland AG published Handbook of the Mammals of Europe edited by K. Hackländer and F.E. Zachos., which includes the chapter “Caspian seal Pusa caspica (Gmelin, 1788)”. A review of scientific information on the only marine mammal of the Caspian Sea was written by Eldar Anverovich Rustamov, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Professor, Deputy Chairman of the Coordinating Committee of the Ramsar Regional Initiative for Central Asia, Turkmenistan, and Anna Vadimovna Belousova, Ph,D. (Biology), Head of Red Book Laboratory at All-Russian Research Institute for Environmental Protection, a joint research center of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation.
The scientific review consists of several sections covering data on taxonomy, systematics, paleontology, morphology, physiology, genetics, life history, behavior, reproduction, diet, diseases of the Caspian seal as well as population ecology and conservation status of the species at regional, national, and international levels. The review includes current data on threats and limiting factors. It examines the management of the Caspian seal population, including its protection, and outlines challenges for future research and conservation.
The chapter was compiled from 119 scientific sources (primarily in Russian). Ten sources are recommended for further reading. The scientific review presents cartographic images of the species distribution, adapted by the authors – the Caspian Seal Breeding Area, Caspian Seal Transitory Migration and Feeding Area, and Caspian Seal Moulting and Haul Out IMMAs (Important Marine Mammal Areas, identified by the IUCN Joint SSC-WCPA Marine Mammal Protected Areas Task Force), which can be used to develop a management strategy the Caspian seal population, including its conservation. The text is illustrated with photographs of Caspian seals credited by M.T. Baimukanov, Director of the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology, Kazakhstan.
This review of scientific information on the Caspian seal is of interest to research and educational institutions specialising in biology and ecology, environmental protection government agencies, NGOs, businesses, and practitioners, whose work is related to the planning and implementation of environmental activities and sustainable development in the Caspian region, as well as to the monitoring and conservation of these endangered Caspian mammals.
Acknowledgments: the authors thank A.A. Scherbina, a national expert, CADI Project, Turkmenistan, S.B. Mammedov, Head of Scientific Department, the Hazar State Nature Reserve, Turkmenistan, and other specialists, who contributed to this work.
Read the chapter “Caspian seal Pusa caspica (Gmelin, 1788)” in Handbook of the Mammals of Europe on Springer Nature Link web-site.
For citation:
Rustamov, E.A., Belousova, A.V. (2025). Caspian Seal Pusa capsica (Gmelin, 1788). In: Hackländer, K., Zachos, F.E. (eds) Handbook of the Mammals of Europe. Handbook of the Mammals of Europe. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-65038-8_158-1.
Authors of the article: A.V. Belousova, VNII Ecology, and N.R. Shumeyko, Kaspica Caspian Seals Conservation Agency.
Source: Springer Nature Switzerland AG, Springer Nature Link.
In the top photo: the Caspian seal (Pusa capsica) on the Durnev Islands, the Komsomolets Bay, the north-eastern Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan, spring, 2017. © M.T. Baimukanov, the Institute of Hydrobiology and Ecology, Kazakhstan.