Skin of the Baikal Seal (Pusa Sibirica, Phocidae): Norm and Pathology

    December 2025 in “ Biology Bulletin ”
    I. V. Anikienko, N. I. Ryadinskaya, E. A. Petrov, K. Yu. Kostyunin, S. E. Belova, D. R. Ikonnikova
    TLDR Baikal seals' skin shows normal features for protection and some pathologies possibly linked to climate change or a virus.
    The study of 12 Baikal seals' skin identified normal features such as a folded epidermis, hyperkeratosis, and distinct collagen fiber layers, which aid in hydrodynamic, thermoregulatory, and sun-protective functions. Pathological conditions included koilocytosis with subepidermal inflammation and subepidermal blister formation with neutrophilic infiltration. These pathologies may be associated with global warming and changes in Lake Baikal's ice regime, potentially triggering immune inflammatory processes, and the possibility of an unknown viral pathogen causing koilocytosis is also considered.
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