evidence: Caspian Seals on Zhemchuzhnyy Malyy Zhemchuzhnyy Island is located in the northwestern Caspian Sea, 80 km from the sea edge of the Volga delta. It is formed from the Northern Caspian bottom sediments – mainly sand, mollusk shells, shell detritus, and aleurite. Malyy Zhemchuzhnyy was formed in 1930s on the site of an underwater sandbank as a result of a drop in the Caspian Sea level. The island is the main habitat of the Caspian seal outside the breeding season within the borders of the Russian Federation. The species is listed in the Red Book of Russia.