From the Geophysical Contrasts of the Caspian Sea to Morphogenetic Differences of Caspian Seals

Abstract

This paper proposes an approach to differentiating the Caspian seal population into separate subpopulations. The Caspian seal, despite the island nature of its habitat, has a high level of genetic and craniometric diversity and a developed intraspecific phylogenetic structure. The most complex and variable geophysical parameters of the northern Caspian are considered in a single connection with the morphological and genetic characteristics of the seals living there. The results of this work indicate that the idea of a single population of the Caspian seal is not sufficiently complete.