Beluga or white whale
The English name comes from the Russian белу?га, which derives from the word белый (bélyj), meaning "white".
1. Beluga whales are known for their white color and range of vocal sounds, earning them the title of "canary of the sea." They are very social animals, forming groups to hunt, migrate, and interact with each other.
Beluga whales are found globally throughout the Arctic and sub-Arctic waters. In the United States, they are found in the state of Alaska. [1]
The beluga's body size is between that of a dolphin and a true whale, with males growing up to 5.5 m (18 ft) long and weighing up to 1,600 kg (3,530 lb). [2]
[2]
2. In the United States, NOAA Fisheries identified five stocks of beluga whales in Alaskan waters. The five stocks of beluga whales are:
- Beaufort Sea
- Bristol Bay
- Cook Inlet
- Eastern Bering Sea
- Eastern Chukchi Sea [1]
[2]
3. Beluga whales are dark grey as calves. Their skin lightens as they age, becoming white as they reach physical maturity. [1]
4. The genus name Delphinapterus translates to “dolphin without a fin.” [1]
5. Belugas are social animals. They return to their birth areas each summer to feed and calve. Groups may range from one or two whales to several hundred whales. [1]
6. Belugas are known as the "canaries of the sea" because they produce many different sounds, including whistles, squeals, moos, chirps, and clicks. They rely on their hearing and ability to echolocate, using sound to navigate and hunt for prey. Belugas also have sharp vision in and out of water. [1]
7. Beluga whales have a varied diet consisting of octopus, squid, crabs, shrimp, clams, snails, and sandworms. They also eat a variety of fish, including salmon, eulachon, cod, herring, smelt, and flatfish. [1]
8. Beluga whales live in the Arctic Ocean and its nearby seas in the Northern Hemisphere. They are common to many regions of Alaska, as well as Russia, Canada, and Greenland. Belugas are usually found in shallow coastal waters during the summer months, often in shallow water. During other seasons, they may be found in deeper waters, diving to 1,000-meter depths for periods of up to 25 minutes. [1]
They are slow swimmers, but can dive to 700 m (2,300 ft) below the surface. [2]
9. Beluga whales are believed to mate in late winter and spring. Depending on the population, this may occur during migration or in their wintering grounds. Females reach sexual maturity when they are about 6 to 14 years old, and males when they are slightly older. Pregnancy lasts approximately 15 months, and calves nurse for at least 2 years. Females can give birth every 2 to 3 years. Pregnancy rates showed signs of decline after age 46 years old in northwest Alaska. It is notable, however, that the oldest female in the northwest Alaska sample, at age 70, was carrying a near-term fetus. The oldest female beluga whale from Cook Inlet was 47 years old and appeared to have recently given birth. [1]
Belugas can live for 70 or 80 years. [2] [3]
10. Specific classification [1]:
11. There are currently 22 stocks of beluga whales recognized[4]:
- James Bay – 14,500 individuals (belugas remain here all year round)
- Western Hudson Bay – 55,000 individuals
- Eastern Hudson Bay – 3,400–3,800 individuals
- Cumberland Sound – 1,151 individuals
- Ungava Bay – 32 individuals (maybe functionally extinct)
- St. Lawrence River Estuary – 889 individuals
- Eastern Canadian Arctic – 21,400 individuals
- Southwest Greenland – Extinct
- Eastern Chukchi Sea – 20,700 individuals
- Eastern Bering Sea – 7,000–9,200 individuals
- Eastern Beaufort Sea – 39,300 individuals
- Bristol Bay – 2,000–3,000 individuals
- Cook Inlet – 300 individuals
- White Sea – 5,600 individuals
- Kara Sea/Laptev Sea/Barents Sea – Data Deficient
- Ulbansky – 2,300
- Anadyr – 3,000
- Shelikhov – 2,666
- Sakhalin/Amur – 4,000 individuals
- Tugurskiy – 1,500 individuals
- Udskaya – 2,500 individuals
- Svalbard – 549 individuals [5]
12. In capativity:
As of January 2018, according to the nonprofit Ceta Base, which tracks belugas and dolphins under human care, there were 81 captive belugas in Canada and the United States, and unknown numbers in the rest of the world. [6][7][8]
[2]
[1]. https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/beluga-whale?
[2]. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beluga_whale
[3]. Stewart, R.E.A.; Campana, S.E.; Jones, C.M.; Stewart, B.E. (2006). "Bomb radiocarbon dating calibrates beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) age estimates". Can. J. Zool. 84 (12): 1840–1852. doi:10.1139/Z06-182. [2]
[4]. "Report of the NAMMCO Global Review of Monodontids" (PDF). Hillerød, Denmark: NAMMCO. 13–16 March 2017. [2]
[5]. Vacquié-Garcia, J; Lydersen, C; Marques, TA; Andersen, M; Kovacs, KM (27 February 2020). "First abundance estimate for white whales Delphinapterus leucas in Svalbard, Norway". Endangered Species Research. 41: 253–263. doi:10.3354/esr01016 [2]
[6]. "Belugas "floated away" to China. Белухи "уплыли" в Китай. За что задержан директор ФГБНУ "ТИНРО-Центр" Лев Бочаров?". Porto Franko, Vladivostok. Retrieved 23 November 2018. Article says belugas cost USD 70,000 or 60,000, while orcas cost USD 7 million, while another article says orcas cost USD 1 million (RUB 67 million) [2]
[7]. "Ceta Base – Captive Cetacean Database – Cetacean Inventory • U.S. & Canada". cetabase.org. 31 January 2018. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 22 November 2018. [2]
[8]. "Arrests made in Russia following illegal whale trafficking scandal". WDC, Whale and Dolphin Conservation. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2018. [2]
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Beluga says hi to a kid:?
Catch the moment:
A pretty model on a catwalk stage:
Am I pretty?
The pretty model on the catwalk stage:
A selphy:
Teasing a happy beluga (white whale):
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