Tutura

The Tutura (Тутура) is a river in Irkutsk Oblast, Russia. It is a tributary of the Lena with a length of 222 km and a drainage basin area of 7300 km2.

The settlement of Chikan is located by the Tutura, near the confluence with the Chikan river, its main tributary. Other inhabited places near the river are Tutura and Kelora. The Tutura basin is one of the areas of Russia traditionally inhabited by Evenks.

Course
The Tutura is a right tributary of the Lena which flows across the Lena-Angara Plateau. It has its sources in the Bolshoy Tutura Lake, Kachugsky District, to the NNE of Irkutsk. It flows first westwards, then in its middle course it heads in a roughly northern direction across the highland area. In its lower reaches its channel widens and near Chikan village it turns WSW, meandering across a floodplain. Finally the Tutura meets the right bank of the Lena by Zhigalovo, the administrative center of Zhigalovsky District, 3812 km from its mouth.

The largest tributaries of the Tutura are the 142 km long Chikan and the 77 km long Kelora from the right. The river freezes between October and May. Summer floods are a common occurrence.

Flora and fauna
The vegetation of the Tutura river basin is characterized by mountain taiga. Permafrost is prevalent in the river basin. The main fish species in the river are carp, crucian carp, asp, pike, chub, lenok, whitefish, bream and Amur catfish.