Ladoga seal Ladoga seal The Ladoga ringed seal (; Pusa hispida ladogensis), is a freshwater subspecies of the ringed seal ("Pusa hispida") which are found entirely in Lake Ladoga in northwestern Russia. The subspecies evolved during the last ice age, about 11,000 years ago. As the glaciers retreated and water levels changed, the Baltic ringed seal (including Ladoga seals) was trapped in freshwater lakes and separated from the Arctic ringed seal. It is related to the even smaller population of Saimaa ringed seals in Lake Saimaa, a lake that flows into Ladoga through the Vuoksi River. The adult Ladoga seal grows to
Staraya Ladoga the town's military significance also decreased. Ladoga belonged to the Vodskaya pyatina of the Republic and contained eighty-four homesteads in the 15th century; most of the land belonged to the church. The Novgorodians built there a citadel with five towers and several churches. The reconstruction of one of the towers of Staraya Ladoga's fortress was scheduled to be completed in 2010. The heart of Staraya Ladoga is an old fortress where the Yelena River flows into the Volkhov. In earlier times, it was a strategic site because it was the only possible harbor for sea-vessels that could not navigate through