Beluga Whale

Description

Beluga whales are dark blue-gray in color, measure 3-5 feet long, and weigh 90-130 lbs. The color gradually lightens, usually turning white by age 5 or 6. Beluga whales grow to an average length of 15 ft. and can weigh more than 3,000 lbs. Generally, males are larger in size than females. Belugas are robust-bodied and have a blubber layer which can be as much as 5 inches thick. They are muscular creatures with a small rounded head, a short beak, and are quite mobile in comparison to other whales.

Diet

Angel sharks to eat small fishes, crustaceans, mackerel, croaker and molluscs

Behaviour

The belugas have a narrow ridge that runs down the rear of their backs, which allows them to swim freely under floating ice. Also, the beluga is the only whale that can bend its neck. This helps them to maneuver easily and catch prey, using their 34 to 40 teeth, not for chewing, but for grabbing and tearing their prey, which is then swallowed whole. Belugas use sound to find their prey. They also use sound to communicate and navigate by producing a variety of clicks, chirps and whistles.

Belugas grow as long as 4.5 m and weigh up to 1500kg. Calves are born in the summer and remain with their mothers for about 24 months. They are slate gray to pinkish brown at birth but become completely white by the time they are adults

Habitat

The tendency of belugas to consistently use shallow, estuarine locations during summer months has contributed to their overexploitation by hunting.

Location or Region Found

Beluga whales are found in seasonally ice-covered waters throughout arctic and sub arctic regions. With the exception of those in Cook Inlet and adjacent waters of the northern Gulf of Alaska, most beluga whales in U.S. waters are thought to winter in the Bering Sea and Atlantic Ocean in open leads and polynyas in the pack ice. In spring and summer, they are found in coastal areas or the offshore pack ice.