(Image: Olga Kamenskaya/Naturepl.com)
OLGA KAMENSKAYA says she lost her heart to Lake Baikal. It鈥檚 easy to see why. At 1642 metres deep and 25 million years old, the lake is the world鈥檚 deepest and oldest. It鈥檚 basically an inland sea.
Baikal is also a paradise of biodiversity, 鈥渢he Galapagos of Russia鈥�. Thousands of species of plants and animals live there, and some 60 per cent of them, , are found nowhere else. This little beauty is also unique to the lake.
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(Image: Olga Kamenskaya/Naturepl.com)
I say little, it鈥檚 actually a giant. It looks to be the giant spiny amphipod, Acanthogammarus victorii, which is about 70 millimetres long. The typical freshwater shrimps found in Europe () grow only to about 20 mm. Gigantism in the lake is thought to be fuelled by high levels of dissolved oxygen.
Baikal has more than 350 species of amphipod, occupying the full range of lake habitats. This one feeds on the organic matter, like dead insects and fish, that drifts down through the water. Amphipods are the trash collectors of Baikal, and help maintain its exceptional purity.
Kamenskaya has been photographing the lake鈥檚 wonders for years but can鈥檛 see her love waning. 鈥淥ne can never end the dialogue with Lake Baikal. The feeling of satisfaction will never come.鈥� Despite having walked hundreds of kilometres on the lake鈥檚 frozen surface and taken thousands of shots, she says she has only touched upon its mystery.
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淩ussia鈥檚 Galapagos鈥�
