Western Siberia

Western Siberia is a truly unique corner of the purest untouched nature of Russia.  If we are talking about Siberia, it is impossible not to admit that it is a natural wonder, a paradise for those admiring beauty and magnificence without borders is essential. Siberia, located in the north of Asia, is one of the most marvelous regions with its astonishing natural balance.

Western Siberia is a part of large region Siberia that occupies the area between the Ural Mountains in the western part and the river bed of Yenisei in the east. There are five natural zones: tundra, forest-tundra, forest, forest-steppeand steppe areas. You can find there lots of  lakes and rivers, with small areas of  taiga.

The rivers of Western Siberia belong to the Kara Sea basin. The largest waterway, the Ob river with its Irtysh tributary, is one of the greatest rivers on the globe. One of the specific features of the region's fauna is its youth. During the Quaternary glaciations, the thermophilic fauna that existed there perished, and only after the disappearance of theglaciers, began to form the modern animal population. The West Siberian Plain has been inhabited by animals from both the west and east. Therefore, its modern fauna is under the mix of European-Eastern-Siberian influence.

In Western Siberia discovered 478 species of vertebrate animals, of which 80 –are mammals. In essence though it is almost identical to the fauna of the Russian Plain (the East European Plain). The difference is made by such species as the Dzungarian hamster and the chipmunk settled there. In Western Siberia also muskrats, teleut squirrels, American minks, European hares (brown hares) were successfully acclimatized, and carp and bream were released into local fresh water bodies.