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What do Baikal seals eat?
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seal
Crabeater seal (Lobodon carcinophagus).
Baikal seals primarily hunt for food at night, diving up to 400 meters (1,300 feet) to forage. Their diet consists of:
- Longfin Baikal sculpin
- Golomyanka (big Baikal oilfish)
- Other fishes
- Mollusks and other invertebrates12
These seals are well-adapted to their environment, capable of holding their breath for up to 40 minutes while searching for prey. During winter, they use their claws to cut breathing holes in the ice to facilitate their movements between the surface and the water.12