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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
beluga
whale, white whale, sea canary |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Cetacea |
| SUBORDER: |
Odontoceti |
| FAMILY: |
Monodontidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Delphinapterus
leucas |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
In
general, adult belugas are almost completely white,
while young belugas are gray. The head region is
rounded with a prominent melon and a short broad
beak. One highly noticeable trait is the lack of
a dorsal fin; instead belugas have a narrow dorsal
ridge. The pectoral flippers of belugas are broad
and the flukes become strongly convex on the trailing
edge in mature whales. |
| MALE |
In
general, male belugas tend to be larger than females |
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| SIZE: |
Newborn
beluga calves are up to 1.6 m (5ft.) in length |
| MALE |
3.4-4.6
m (11.2-15.1 ft) |
| FEMALE |
3-4
m (9.8-13.1 ft) |
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| WEIGHT: |
At
birth, calves are approximately 54-80 kg (119-176.4
lb.) |
| MALE |
Up
to 1500 kg (3,307 lb) |
| FEMALE |
Up
to 1360 kg (3,000 lb) |
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| DIET: |
Benthic
(bottom-dwelling) fish such as capelin, cod, herring,
smelt and flounder and invertebrates including clams,
snails, sandworms, crabs, shrimp, octopus and squid |
|
| GESTATION: |
14-15
months |
| ESTRAL
PERIOD |
Late
winter-spring |
| NURSING
DURATION |
Usually
20-24 months (wean) |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
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| MALE |
At
about 8-9 years |
| FEMALE |
At
about 4-7 years |
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| RANGE: |
Arctic
Ocean and subarctic seas |
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| HABITAT: |
Typically,
they inhabit shallow coastal waters of the icy Arctic
Ocean and its adjoining seas, but during the summer
many populations may also congregate in warmer freshwater
estuaries and river basins |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
More
than 100,000 |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Vulnerable |
| CITES |
Appendix
II |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
The
English name "beluga" comes from the Russian
word belukha, which translates into "white." Belugas are also known as white whales. At birth,
beluga calves are generally dark gray. They gradually
lighten with age, and upon reaching maturity, attain
the white coloration characteristic of adult belugas.
This white coloration protects belugas from predators
by camouflaging them among the icebergs and ice
floes of northern seas. |
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| 2. |
A highly social species, beluga whales are extremely
vocal. Long ago, scientists and sailors gave beluga
whales the nickname "sea canaries," due
to the birdlike sounds these whales make. |
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| 3. |
Beluga whales lack dorsal fins, but have a low dorsal
ridge. The lack of a dorsal fin means less surface
area for losing heat to the environment. And without
a dorsal fin, a beluga can more easily swim beneath
extensive ice sheets and locate breathing holes. |
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| 4. |
Belugas
are among the few whales that have un-fused neck
vertebrae. This feature makes their necks quite
flexible and gives their heads a wide range of motion. |
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| 5. |
Belugas
can swim both forward and, unlike most other whales,
backward. |
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| 6. |
For
more information about belugas, explore the beluga
whale info book. |
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| Beluga
whales face a number of environmental threats. Industrial
run-off in the St. Lawrence River has resulted in
high levels of PCBs, heavy metals, and other toxins
in the water. The toxins enter the food chain through
single-celled organisms and become concentrated
in the bodies of large carnivores. The deaths and
strandings of many belugas are possibly linked to
these toxins. As with other marine mammals, belugas
are protected by the U.S. Marine Mammal Protection
Act of 1972. |
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|
|
|
Byrum,
J. Beluga Whales. SeaWorld Education Department
Publication. San Diego. SeaWorld, Inc. 1995.
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| |
|
Jefferson, T.J. Leatherwood, S. and M.A. Webber.
FAO Species identification Guide. Marine Mammals
of the World. Rome. FAO, 1993. |
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|
Leatherwood, Stephen, and Reeves, Randall R. The
Sierra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins.
San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1983.
|
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| Nowak,
Ronald M. (ed.). Walker's Mammals of the World.
Vol. II. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University
Press, 1991. |
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| Parker,
S. (ed.). Grizmek's Encyclopedia of Mammals.
Vol. IV. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.,
1990. |
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| Reeves,
R. R., Stewart, B.S., Clapman, P.J., and J.A. Powell
(Peter Folkens illustrator). National Audubon
Society: Guide to Marine Mammals of the World.
New York: Random House, 2002. |
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| http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu |
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