| Class: | Mammalia |
| Order: | Cetacea |
| Family: | Monodontidae |
| Size: | Length 11 to 18 feet (3 to 5 m) |
| Weight: | 1,500 to 3,300 pounds (680 to 1497 kg) |
| Diet: | Fish and crustaceans |
| Distribution: | Northern coastal waters |
| Young: | 1, every 2 to 3 years |
| Animal Predators: | Killer whales and polar bears |
| IUCN Status: | Vulnerable |
| Terms: | Young: Calf Male: Bull Female: Cow Group: Pod |
| Lifespan: | 30 to 40 years |
· The scientific name Delphinapterus leucas means “white dolphin without a fin.”
· Beluga is from the Russian word “belukha,” which comes from “belii,” meaning white.
· Belugas are sometimes called “sea canaries” because of their high-pitched vocalizations.
Belugas have a lump on their head made up of mostly fat. The lump is called a melon, and the size of the melon is an indication of the animal’s health. For example, captive belugas usually have a flat melon, indicating a lack of vigour and health, due to the stress of performing and the quality of the water. They are relatively small whales, and adults are white in colour. They have a stout body, a small beak and tiny eyes.
Beluga whales live and breed in the waters of the northern hemisphere, including the Arctic Ocean, Bering Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Beaufort Sea, Baffin Bay, Hudson Bay and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. They frequent shallow coastal waters, and sometimes are washed up on shore during low tide, but will make their way back to sea during the next high tide.
Belugas feed on a variety of approximately 100 different kinds of fish and crustaceans, swallowing them whole.
Dominant males mate with several different females. The pregnancy lasts 14 to 15 months, and the young calf is a dark colour, such as brown, blue or black. They are approximately four to five feet (1.2 to 1.5 m) in length and 100 to 140 pounds (45 to 64 kg). Nursing mothers form exclusive pods while their calves are young. As they age, the calves slowly lighten, becoming grayish-blue when they reach one year, and fading to white by the time they are six years of age. Calves are weaned by two, are mature at seven to nine and have grown to full size by 10 years.
Belugas are social mammals that live in pods—small family groups of up to 25 whales. Members of the pod hunt, travel and play together. Belugas are gregarious and curious animals that will even swim up to humans to have a closer look. They communicate with a range of vocalizations, from a roar to a chirp, as well as facial expressions.
From
1880 to 1950, as many as 15,000 belugas were taken from the St.
Lawrence River by the Beluga fishing industry. There are now approximately 1200
Belugas in the St. Lawrence River. The St. Lawrence River population, as well as
the Southeast Baffin
Island-Cumberland Sound population and the Ungava
Bay population are considered endangered by the Committee on the Status of
Endangered Wildlife in Canada. They have also listed the Eastern
Hudson Bay population as threatened and the Eastern
High Arctic / Baffin Bay population are listed as special concern. Whaling
in Canadian waters is now
prohibited by The Canadian Whaling Regulations.
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/delphinapterus/d._leucas$narrative.html
http://www.mnh.si.edu/arctic/html/beluga_whale.html
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Beluga.shtml
http://nmml.afsc.noaa.gov/education/cetaceans/beluga1.htm
http://www.vanaqua.org/Visitor_Information/AquaFacts/Belugas.htm
http://www.cetacea.org/beluga.htm
http://www.mmsc.org/info/whale-beluga.html
http://www.marinethemes.com/beluga.html
http://www.sci.tamucc.edu/tmmsn/29Species/MoreSpec/beluga.html
Beluga Whale Wildlife Fact File, IM Pub, US