Lake Kezenoy-am (Lake Goluboye, ; ) is the deepest

lake A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much large ...

in the

Caucasus The Caucasus () or Caucasia (), is a region between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, mainly comprising Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia (country), Georgia, and parts of Southern Russia. The Caucasus Mountains, including the Greater Caucasus range ...

Mountains, in the

Russian Federation Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

, mostly in Chechnya but partly in Dagestan. It goes through Andiyskiy Khrebet (Andian Ridge). It is situated at an altitude of 1870 m above sea level and fills an area of 2.4 km². The maximum depth of the lake is 74 m. In winter the surface of the lake freezes and in summer the water temperature is around 5 °C. The lake water has a year-round supply of oxygen in which plankton survive. '' Salmo ezenami'', a rare species of

trout Trout are species of freshwater fish belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', '' Salmo'' and '' Salvelinus'', all of the subfamily Salmoninae of the family Salmonidae. The word ''trout'' is also used as part of the name of some non-salm ...

, are native only to the lake; however, their population is threatened with extinction due to the introduction of

European chub ''Squalius cephalus'' is a European species of freshwater fish in the carp family Cyprinidae. It frequents both slow and moderate rivers, as well as canals and still waters of various kinds. This species is referred to as the common chub, Europe ...

s (''Squalius cephalus'') which consume the fry of the Salmo.Freyhof, J. & Kottelat, M. 2008
''Salmo ezenami''.
In: IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2010.1. Downloaded on 5 April 2010.

References

* {{refend Kezenoyam

See also

References