Fauna of the Baikal coast is typical for East Siberian region.  A relational integrity of the nature, a small number of tourists and large forest spaces allow to keep a great population of animals.

Among predators the most common species are wolf, fox, brown bear, sables. To meet a brown bear is a usual thing. At the beginning of April after leaving their lairs these animals rush to the heats of the sun, on the first greenery. In forests they pick up last year’s cedar cones, ravage anthills. In summer bears prefer places with well-ripened grassy verdure: rivers’ and streams’ valleys, meadows. A favourite place - subalpine meadows and ridges surrounding the Baikal. Such as Khamar-Daban, Baikalsky, Barguzinsky ridge. In riverheads one can meet two or three bears at once in one valley. A bear don’t miss a chance to hunt ungulate mammals. After meadow shrinking bears walk down in taiga where they can diversify their menu by tasty berries: cowberry, blueberry. From the very first days of cedar nut riping they move into cembretums and stay here to get a potbelly till winter. Bears take to their lairs at the end of October – the beginning of November, go into hibernation till March – April. In the middle of the winter female bears give birth to bear cubs.

Sable and marten are typical inhabitans of dark coniferous taiga. They feed on small rodents, berries and nuts. To keep sable population the first zapovednik was created in Russia – Barguzinsky zapovednik. For example, a glutton is rare to meet among big predators. It is a very interesting, savage animal loooked like a bear or a badger. A glutton feeds on remains from wolf’s victims and hunt by itself seldom. On the timberline and above an ermine and a weasel are widespread. These small animals, chipmunk-sized, in spite of their short stature are furious predators.

There are rather rare predators in reservoirs. Such as a river otter and an American mink acclimatized in 1950-s. An American mink took partly Siberian weasel’s habitats and competes with it in food matters. A badger is very rare to meet, also a lynx is not numerous. This animal requires vast areas to hunt. An ounce or a snow leopard is the scantiest species on the territory of Pribaikalie. This animal has a unique beauty. It is found singularly in mountains of Eastern Sayan and there are unconfirmed facts about its presence in mountains of Barguzinsky ridge and on Khamar-Daban.

A Siberian stag is more numerous species among ungulate mammals. In summer cervids cluster on the high-altitude meadows escaping from blood-sucking insects. A roe deer is often found on the heats of the sun in light coniferous grassy forests; in dark coniferous forests - musk deer. It is a small cloven-hoofed animal with long hind legs. Peculiar feature of bucks is sticked out upper canines. A musk deer inhabits along rocky steep slopes, stony placers. It feeds on lichen, moss, grass. An elk inhabits all over the region. It likes to feed on water plants, it can swim very well and that’s why it is often found near forest lakes. A wild boar is quite often to meet. In winter, spring and summer boars prefer stream and river valleys, open steppe slopes, light coniferous forests. In autumn beasts cluster into cembretums and stay here till snow. A Siberian ibex is a rare species of ungulate mammals that inhabits in the Eastern Sayan and on Barguzin ridge. Also in a high-altitude zone there is a subspecies of a reindeer. Shrew, squirrel, chipmunk, vole, field mouse, lepus, creeper, suslik are the most widespread among small animals. As well a mole, a bat and a flying squirrel, a marmot inhabited along the shore of the lake are found here.