The White Sea is the inland sea in the north of Russia, which belongs to the basin of the Arctic Ocean. This is the warmest sea in this pool. Nevertheless, most of the year it is under the ice. Despite the fact that most of the water lies beyond the Arctic Circle, it has a southern location and proximity to land, the inhabitants of the White Sea are not very diverse. This is due to its isolation from the ocean. Photos and names of the inhabitants of the White Sea will help to form an idea of life in it.
Harp seals
They stand out among the mammals of the White Sea.
There are three seal populations in the Arctic Ocean. One of them is located in the White Sea. In recent decades, this population has begun to decline. The reason for this is excessive mining and melting of ice. In this regard, fishing restrictions were introduced, which stabilized the number of inhabitants of the White Sea - harp seals - at the level of a million individuals. Each year, at the end of winter or at the beginning of spring, a litter of seals appears in the White Sea, which amounts to 350 calves. Little puppies are called "squirrels", as they have a white color, visually indistinguishable from the color of the ice.
Male seals have a color that distinguishes them from other species: silver wool, a black head and a black line that runs from the shoulders on the sides. The color of the females consists of a similar pattern, but it is paler and sometimes turns into spots. The length of these animals is 170-180 centimeters, the mass varies from 120 to 140 kilograms.
White whale dolphins
This is a species of toothed whales, they are mammals living in the White Sea. These dolphins of blue and dark blue color are born, by the year they acquire a bluish-gray color, and by 3-5 years these individuals become snow-white. That is why they are called belugas. Large males grow up to six meters long and weigh up to two tons. Beluga whales are smaller. These dolphins have a small head without a beak. The vertebrae are divided around the neck, so they can turn their heads. This species is distinguished by small oval pectoral fins and the absence of a dorsal fin. For this feature, he received the name "wingless dolphin."
Beluga whales feed mainly on schooling fish, sucking prey. An adult dolphin absorbs about 15 kilograms of food per day. These individuals are characterized by seasonal migration. In winter, they live near the edge of the ice field, but sometimes they fall into icy zones. Belugas support the wormwoods in which they breathe, preventing them from freezing. By summer, they move to coastal areas, where the water temperature is higher and food is more.
Belugas are social, as they can emit more than 50 sound signals, and when communicating they use tail slaps across the water.
Fish world
Representation of marine inhabitants of the White Sea, in contrast to the neighboring Barents, is more scarce. Although here you can distinguish about seventy species of fish. They live at a depth of 30 meters, where there is food.
Cod, herring, salmon, flounder, sea bass are widely developed here. Fishing on smelt from ice is very popular among the inhabitants of the White Sea coast.
Pacific herring is the most common commercial flock in this area. Navaga and saiga enter the waters of the White Sea in winter to lay eggs. Cod representatives: saiga, saffron cod and saithe winter here. In the White Sea, two species of flounder are found. One of them - sea flounder - comes here from the Barents Sea for fattening. Another species is the polar flounder. She lives in the White Sea constantly.
Sharks
Katran and the polar shark are the cold-resistant permanent inhabitants of the White Sea. They do not pose a danger to humans. But sometimes herring sharks from the Barents Sea come here. They are quite aggressive and dangerous.
The polar shark lives in almost all the northern seas. It grows to six meters. Such sharks feed on carrion, as they live at a depth of 500-1000 meters. But sometimes they prey on fish, walruses, seals and even polar bears. These individuals never attack humans. The shark is edible, so fishermen in the twentieth century conducted its fishing.
Katran is a small prickly shark. Its length is no more than 120 centimeters. Katran is a commercial species, absolutely not dangerous for people.
Jellyfish
These creatures, which are a jelly-like dome moving in water by contractions, can be found in every sea. But in the depths of the White Sea, completely unusual jellyfish live. Outwardly, they look like aliens. One of the largest representatives of this species is the lion's mane jellyfish. Outwardly, it resembles the mane of this king of animals. These individuals are purple or raspberry colored. Smaller specimens are golden or orange. In the center of the dome are tentacles of saturated color. These are giant jellyfish. Usually their body reaches a diameter of 2 meters, and tentacles can grow up to 30 meters. Weight - up to 300 kilograms.
In the White Sea lives and eared jellyfish, known as aurelia. Outwardly, this jellyfish resembles a transparent umbrella. She is constantly moving, and her translucent body becomes a trap for small marine inhabitants, who stick to the mucus on her body, after which they are sent to the stomach. Digestion of food is very slow. The process of food movement through the transparent body of jellyfish can be traced.
Sea stars
In the White Sea there is no great variety of stars. This is because the sea is sufficiently desalinated by the rivers flowing into it, and the salt content in it is much lower than in the ocean. Therefore, only a few species have adapted to life in the White Sea. The most common is considered asterias rubens. It is found on algae, and on the sandy bottom, and on stones. Its dimensions are from the smallest to 30 centimeters in diameter. Bright colors can be orange, red and yellow.
Solyaster is a predatory starfish. She is constantly in motion, crawling along the bottom in search of food - bivalve mollusks.
Crossater is a starfish with a shaggy surface due to the large number of calcareous needles. These multi-ray stars have a very bright color, consisting of several shades of red. The vascular system of these individuals sets in motion legs which help them to move and open shells of bivalve mollusks.
Travels to the White Sea - real and virtual
For travel lovers, special tours are organized in which acquaintance with the amazing flora and fauna of the White Sea will become a reality. A variety of excursions to interesting places, sea fishing, collecting mussels and seaweed, preparing various seafood dishes are just some of the possible entertainments.
For children, the inhabitants of the White Sea are represented in oceanariums. Details of each of the inhabitants of this water area of the child can be found in children's encyclopedias.