Home›Species›Ecosystem›Caspian SeaEcosystemCaspian SeaWetland and FreshwaterReference and ClassificationVerifiedThe Caspian Sea is the largest inland body of water on Earth, an endorheic, brackish basin covering about 371,000 square kilometers between the Caucasus Mountains, the Central Asian steppe, southern Russia and the Iranian plateau, bordered by Kazakhstan, Russia, Azerbaijan, Iran and Turkmenistan. Its southern basin plunges past 1,000 meters, the third deepest depression on Earth outside the open ocean, while its salinity of roughly 1.2 percent is about a third that of seawater. The sea supports endemic sturgeon populations prized for caviar and the Caspian seal, the only marine mammal found nowhere else. Decades of oil extraction around its shores have made pollution a persistent threat to its ecology.FactsCaspian SeaConnectionsIn the Other AtlasesSourcesTake a Related QuizComments (0)Reader Challenges (0)FactsClassificationBiogeographic RealmWell-attestedPalearctic 1Area (sq km)Well-attested371,000 2Caspian SeaFilter Results28 entriesCommon GroupAllAmphipods (1)Ancient And Relict Fish (Coelacanth, Lungfish) (1)Birds Of Prey (Raptors) (1)Bivalves (Clams, Mussels, Oysters) (1)Carp And Minnows (Cypriniformes) (2)Cockroaches And Termites (Blattodea) (1)Comb Jellies (Ctenophora) (1)Gulls, Terns And Auks (2)Mints, Nightshades And Allies (Lamiales/Solanales) (1)Other Birds (2)Other Flowering Plant Orders (2)Other Frogs And Toads (Anura) (1)Owls (1)Perch-Like Fishes (Perciformes) (1)Roses And Relatives (Rosales) (1)Shorebirds (Waders) (2)Shrimp And Prawns (1)Waterfowl (3)TaxonomyAllAccipitridae (1)Anatidae (2)Animalia (1)Anseriformes (1)Bivalvia (1)Blattodea (1)Branchiopoda (1)Charadriidae (1)Chordata (1)Cyprinus (1)Fagaceae (1)Felis (2)Galliformes (1)Gruidae (1)Lamiaceae (1)Laridae (1)Larus (1)Malacostraca (1)Nymphaeales (2)Pelophylax (1)Perciformes (1)Pusa (1)Rutilus (1)Scolopacidae (1)Strigiformes (1)HabitatAllBog (2)Boreal Forest (2)Desert (1)Estuary (1)Freshwater (2)Grassland (3)Hadal Zone (1)Lake (8)Marine (2)Open Ocean (1)River (7)Steppe (2)Temperate Forest (1)Tundra (2)Wetlands (4)Conservation StatusAllCritically Endangered (1)Endangered (1)Least Concern (18)Not Evaluated (5)Vulnerable (1)Everyday GroupAllAmphipods (1)Ancient And Relict Fish (Coelacanth, Lungfish) (1)Birds Of Prey (Raptors) (1)Bivalves (Clams, Mussels, Oysters) (1)Carp And Minnows (Cypriniformes) (2)Cockroaches And Termites (Blattodea) (1)Comb Jellies (Ctenophora) (1)Gulls, Terns And Auks (2)Mints, Nightshades And Allies (Lamiales/Solanales) (1)Other Birds (2)Other Flowering Plant Orders (2)Other Frogs And Toads (Anura) (1)Owls (1)Perch-Like Fishes (Perciformes) (1)Roses And Relatives (Rosales) (1)Shorebirds (Waders) (2)Shrimp And Prawns (1)Waterfowl (3)DietAllCarnivore (9)Detritivore or Scavenger (1)Filter Feeder (1)Herbivore (5)Insectivore (2)Omnivore (4)Photosynthetic Autotroph (4)Piscivore (2)System (Realm)AllFreshwater (13)Marine (10)Marine and Freshwater (1)Terrestrial (13)Terrestrial and Freshwater (1)Terrestrial and Marine (1)ThreatsAllBiological Resource Use (1)Invasive and Other Problematic Species, Genes and Diseases (1)Relationship to PeopleAllAgricultural or Structural Pest (4)Domesticated (1)Ecotourism and Research (1)Farmed or Commercially Raised (2)Hunted or Fished (5)Invasive or Introduced Species (7)Used in Traditional Medicine (3)Living or ExtinctAllYes (23)Where It LivesAllAfghanistan (2)Africa (9)Albania (8)Algeria (6)Andorra (3)Angola (1)Antigua and Barbuda (2)Argentina (7)Armenia (3)Australia (10)Austria (13)Azerbaijan (4)Bahrain (2)Bangladesh (3)Barbados (3)Belarus (7)Belgium (21)Benin (2)Bhutan (1)Bolivia (2)Bosnia and Herzegovina (8)Botswana (1)Brazil (7)Brunei (3)Bulgaria (10)Burundi (1)Cambodia (2)Canada (8)Central African Republic (1)Chile (4)China (8)Colombia (7)Costa Rica (3)Cote d'Ivoire (2)Croatia (3)Cuba (3)Cyprus (8)Czechia (7)Democratic Republic of the Congo (1)Denmark (22)Djibouti (1)Dominican Republic (2)Ecuador (6)Egypt (3)Eritrea (1)Estonia (8)Europe (1)Finland (6)France (16)Gabon (2)Georgia (6)Germany (10)Greece (4)Guyana (1)Haiti (1)Hungary (5)Iceland (2)India (2)Indonesia (2)Iran (5)Ireland (5)Israel (1)Italy (8)Jamaica (1)Japan (3)Kazakhstan (6)Kenya (3)Kyrgyzstan (1)Laos (2)Latvia (4)Lebanon (1)Liechtenstein (2)Lithuania (6)Luxembourg (4)Madagascar (2)Malaysia (1)Manchuria (2)Mauritius (1)Mexico (1)Moldova (2)Mongolia (2)Montenegro (3)Morocco (3)Mozambique (1)Myanmar (2)Namibia (1)Nepal (2)Netherlands (7)New Zealand (1)North America (17)North Macedonia (3)Norway (18)Pakistan (2)Palestine (1)Panama (1)Paraguay (1)Peru (2)Philippines (2)Poland (11)Portugal (6)Romania (7)Russia (9)Saint Lucia (1)Samoa (1)Serbia (6)Slovakia (3)Slovenia (2)South Africa (1)South America (1)South Asia (9)Spain (19)Sri Lanka (2)Suriname (1)Sweden (16)Switzerland (12)Syria (1)Taiwan (3)Tajikistan (4)Tanzania (1)Thailand (2)Tunisia (2)Turkey (3)Turkmenistan (4)Ukraine (13)United Arab Emirates (4)United Kingdom (9)United States (7)Uruguay (1)Uzbekistan (3)Vanuatu (2)Venezuela (2)Vietnam (3)Western Sahara (1)Show ResultsBrowseCompareSelect all 28African WildcatCaspian SeaAmphipodCaspian SeaArtemia SalinaCaspian SeaBeluga SturgeonCaspian SeaCaspian SealCaspian SeaComb JellyCaspian SeaCommon CarpCaspian SeaCommon craneCaspian SeaCommon gullCaspian SeaCommon PheasantCaspian SeaCommon RoachCaspian SeaEurasian Eagle-OwlCaspian SeaEuropean golden ploverCaspian SeaEuropean PerchCaspian SeaGreater scaupCaspian SeaHyssopus officinalisCaspian SeaJungle CatCaspian SeaMarsh FrogCaspian SeaMute SwanCaspian SeaNelumbo nuciferaCaspian SeaOriental CockroachCaspian SeaSacred LotusCaspian SeaSandwich TernCaspian SeaSweet chestnutCaspian SeaTerek sandpiperCaspian SeaTundra swanCaspian SeaWhite-tailed eagleCaspian SeaZebra MusselCaspian SeaConnectionsDemonstratesMigration, Natural Phenomena Well-attested Source Encyclopaedia Britannicatier 1HostsAfrican Wildcat, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: African wildcatAmphipod, Species Well-attested Source Amphipoda (Wikipedia)tier 2Artemia Salina, Species Well-attested Source Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Artemia salina (Animal Diversity Web)Beluga Sturgeon, Species Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundCaspian Seal, Species Well-attested Source Caspian seal (Wikipedia)Comb Jelly, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: CtenophoraCommon Carp, Species Well-attested Source Common Carp (Wikipedia)tier 2Common crane, Species Well-attested Source Common crane (Wikipedia)Common gull, Species Well-attested Source Common gull (Wikipedia)Common Pheasant, Species Well-attested Source Common Pheasant (Wikipedia)tier 2Common Roach, Species Well-attested Source Wikidata: European PerchAdditional Source Caspian Sea (Wikipedia)Article texttier 2Eurasian Eagle-Owl, Species Well-attested Source Eurasian eagle-owl, WikipediaEuropean golden plover, Species Well-attested Source European golden plover (Wikipedia)European Perch, Species Well-attested Source Wikidata: European PerchAdditional Source Caspian Sea (Wikipedia)Article texttier 2Greater scaup, Species Well-attested Source Greater scaup (Wikipedia)Hyssopus officinalis, Species Well-attested Source Hyssopus officinalis (Wikipedia)Jungle Cat, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Jungle catMarsh Frog, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Marsh Frogtier 2Mute Swan, Species Well-attested Source Wikipedia: Mute Swantier 2Nelumbo nucifera, Species Well-attested Source Nelumbo nucifera (Wikipedia)Oriental Cockroach, Species Well-attested Source Oriental cockroach (Wikipedia)Sacred Lotus, Species Well-attested Source Nelumbo nucifera (Wikipedia)Sandwich Tern, Species Well-attested Source Sandwich tern (Wikipedia)Sweet chestnut, Species Well-attested Source Sweet chestnut (Wikipedia)Terek sandpiper, Species Well-attested Source Terek sandpiper (Wikipedia)Tundra swan, Species Well-attested Source Tundra swan (Wikipedia)White-tailed eagle, Species Well-attested Source White-tailed eagle (Wikipedia)Zebra Mussel, Species Well-attested Source Zebra mussel (Wikipedia)In BiomeLake, Biomes Well-attested Source World Wildlife FundIn the Other AtlasesFound InAzerbaijanAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.IranAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.KazakhstanAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.RussiaAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.TurkmenistanAlso in Geography Atlas: where this subject is found.Sources1. WWF Terrestrial Ecoregions of the Worldtier 2World Wildlife Fundbordered by Caucasus, Central Asian steppe and Iranian plateau, wholly PalearcticView the Source2. Caspian Sea (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaLead section, third sentence, surface area figureIt covers a surface area of 371,000 km2 (143,244 sq mi) (excluding the highly saline lagoon of Garabogazköl to its east), an area similar to Japan, with a volume of 78,200 km3 (19,000 cu mi).Hosts: Common Roach, Article textMost non-endemic natives are either shared with the Black Sea basin or widespread Palearctic species such as crucian carp, Prussian carp, common carp, common bream, common bleak, asp, white bream, sunbleak, common dace, common roach, common rudd, European chub, sichel, tench, European weatherfish, wels catfish, northern pike, burbot, European perch and zander.Hosts: European Perch, Article textMost non-endemic natives are either shared with the Black Sea basin or widespread Palearctic species such as crucian carp, Prussian carp, common carp, common bream, common bleak, asp, white bream, sunbleak, common dace, common roach, common rudd, European chub, sichel, tench, European weatherfish, wels catfish, northern pike, burbot, European perch and zander.View the SourceWorld Wildlife FundWorld Wildlife FundIn Biome: LakeHosts: Beluga SturgeonView the SourceEncyclopaedia Britannicatier 1Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.Demonstrates: MigrationView the SourceWikipedia: Mute Swantier 2WikipediaHosts: Mute Swan, MigrationQuote, Hosts: Mute Swan, MigrationMany birds in West and Central Asia move south in winter to the shores of the Caspian Sea, as far as Iran and Afghanistan, more birds will move south during harsher winters.View the SourceCommon Pheasant (Wikipedia)tier 2Wikimedia FoundationHosts: Common Pheasant, DistributionQuote, Hosts: Common Pheasant, DistributionCommon pheasants are native to Asia and parts of Europe, their original range extending from the eastern Black Sea and the Caspian Sea to Manchuria, Siberia, Korea, Mainland China, and Taiwan.View the SourceEurasian eagle-owl, WikipediaHosts: Eurasian Eagle-Owl, SubspeciesQuote, Hosts: Eurasian Eagle-Owl, SubspeciesIt is distributed from Kazakhstan between the Volga and upper Ural Rivers, the Caspian Sea coast and the former Aral Sea, but replaced in that country by B. b. omissus in the mountainous south and in the coastal region of the Mangyshlak Peninsula by B. b. gladkovi.View the SourceCommon Carp (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaHosts: Common Carp, HistoryQuote, Hosts: Common Carp, HistoryThe common carp's native range also extends to the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, and Aral Sea.View the SourceWikipedia: CtenophoraHosts: Comb Jelly, Ecological impactsQuote, Hosts: Comb Jelly, Ecological impactsIn the late 1990s Mnemiopsis appeared in the Caspian Sea.View the SourceAmphipoda (Wikipedia)tier 2WikipediaHosts: Amphipod, EcologyQuote, Hosts: Amphipod, EcologyNotably rich endemic amphipod faunas are found in the ancient Lake Baikal and waters of the Caspian Sea basin, with over 350 species inhabiting Lake Baikal.View the SourceZebra mussel (Wikipedia)Hosts: Zebra Mussel, EuropeQuote, Hosts: Zebra Mussel, EuropeThe native distribution of the species is in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea in Eurasia.View the SourceNelumbo nucifera (Wikipedia)Hosts: Sacred Lotus, DescriptionIt has a very wide native distribution, ranging from East Asia (north to the Amur region) through northern Indochina and central and northern India (at altitudes up to 1,400 m (4,600 ft) in the southern Himalayas),; the Russian populations have sometimes been referred to as Nelumbo komarovii, with isolated locations at the Caspian Sea.Hosts: Nelumbo nucifera, DescriptionIt has a very wide native distribution, ranging from East Asia (north to the Amur region) through northern Indochina and central and northern India (at altitudes up to 1,400 m (4,600 ft) in the southern Himalayas),; the Russian populations have sometimes been referred to as Nelumbo komarovii, with isolated locations at the Caspian Sea.View the SourceWikipedia: African wildcatHosts: African Wildcat, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: African Wildcat, Distribution and habitatIts range extends northeast into Central Asia, where it occurs along the eastern shores of the Caspian Sea, and through Kazakhstan to as far east as Xinjiang.View the SourceWikipedia: Jungle catHosts: Jungle Cat, ThreatsQuote, Hosts: Jungle Cat, ThreatsSince the 1960s, populations of the Caucasian jungle cat living along the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus range states have been rapidly declining.View the SourceTundra swan (Wikipedia)Hosts: Tundra swan, C. c. bewickii distributionQuote, Hosts: Tundra swan, C. c. bewickii distributionA few birds from the central Siberian range also winter in Iran at the south of the Caspian Sea; in former times these flocks also migrated to the Aral Sea before the late 20th century ecological catastrophe turned most of the habitat there into inhospitable wasteland.View the SourceWhite-tailed eagle (Wikipedia)Hosts: White-tailed eagle, Breeding rangeQuote, Hosts: White-tailed eagle, Breeding rangeIn the Middle East, the white-tailed eagle may still be found breeding only along the southern coast of the Caspian Sea in northern Iran and southwestern Turkmenistan.View the SourceCommon gull (Wikipedia)Hosts: Common gull, LeadQuote, Hosts: Common gull, LeadMost common gulls migrate further south in winter, reaching the Mediterranean Sea, the southern Caspian Sea, and the seas around China and Japan; northwest European populations are at least partly resident.View the SourceOriental cockroach (Wikipedia)Hosts: Oriental Cockroach, LeadQuote, Hosts: Oriental Cockroach, LeadOriginally endemic to the Crimean Peninsula and the region around the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, its distribution is now cosmopolitan.View the SourceCaspian seal (Wikipedia)Hosts: Caspian Seal, LeadQuote, Hosts: Caspian Seal, LeadPhoca caspica) is one of the smallest members of the earless seal family and unique in that it is found exclusively in the brackish Caspian Sea.View the SourceSweet chestnut (Wikipedia)Hosts: Sweet chestnut, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: Sweet chestnut, Distribution and habitatIt is found across the Mediterranean region, from the Caspian Sea to the Atlantic Ocean.View the SourceCommon crane (Wikipedia)Hosts: Common crane, DistributionQuote, Hosts: Common crane, DistributionImportant staging areas occur anywhere from Sweden, the Netherlands and Germany to China (with a large one around the Caspian Sea) and many thousand cranes can be seen in one day in the Autumn.View the SourceEuropean golden plover (Wikipedia)Hosts: European golden plover, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: European golden plover, Distribution and habitatIn winter, it migrates southwest to milder regions of Europe, northwest Africa, and southwest Asia, from Ireland east to Denmark, and south to the Mediterranean region as far as Algeria, northern Egypt, and the Caspian Sea coast of Iran.View the SourceGreater scaup (Wikipedia)Hosts: Greater scaup, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: Greater scaup, Distribution and habitatThey winter along the Pacific and Atlantic coasts of North America, the coasts of northwest Europe, the Caspian Sea, the Black Sea, the coast of Japan, Yellow Sea and East China Sea.View the SourceTerek sandpiper (Wikipedia)Hosts: Terek sandpiper, TaxonomyQuote, Hosts: Terek sandpiper, TaxonomyHe reported that he had seen pairs breeding at the mouth of the Terek River where it flows into the Caspian Sea.View the SourceSandwich tern (Wikipedia)Hosts: Sandwich Tern, LeadQuote, Hosts: Sandwich Tern, LeadIt breeds in the Palearctic from Europe to the Caspian Sea, and winters in the Mediterranean and on the coasts of Africa, India, and Sri Lanka.View the SourceHyssopus officinalis (Wikipedia)Hosts: Hyssopus officinalis, LeadQuote, Hosts: Hyssopus officinalis, LeadHyssopus officinalis or hyssop is a shrub in the Lamiaceae or mint family native to Southern Europe, the Middle East, and the region surrounding the Caspian Sea.View the SourceWikipedia: Marsh Frogtier 2WikipediaHosts: Marsh Frog, Distribution and habitatQuote, Hosts: Marsh Frog, Distribution and habitatUnusually for an amphibian, the marsh frog is tolerant of saltwater, having been reported inhabiting and even breeding in brackish pools along the shores of the Caspian Sea and Black Sea.View the SourceAnimal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of Zoology: Artemia salina (Animal Diversity Web)Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan Museum of ZoologyHosts: Artemia Salina, Geographic RangeQuote, Hosts: Artemia Salina, Geographic RangeThe brine shrimp is found in inland salt water bodies such as the Great Salt Lake in northern Utah, on the rocky coast south of San Francisco, and in the Caspian Sea.View the SourceTake a Related QuizWetlands, Reefs and Deltas: New EcosystemsCovers this kind of entry.Comments (0)No comments yet. 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