Learn all about their unique adaptations and social behaviours in this expert guide from Whale and Dolpin Conservation.

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Published: Monday, 03 June 2024 at 13:15 PM

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Learn all about the rather weird-looking – but fascinating – “white whale” from the experts at Whale and Dolphin Conservation

What are Beluga whales?

Although Beluga whales look a bit like dolphins, they are whales and belong to the Monodontidae family

Where do Beluga whales live?

The beluga inhabits waters of the sub-Arctic and high Arctic, and are found around the coasts of northern Canada, Alaska, Greenland and northern Russia. 

What do Beluga whales look like?

Beluga whales are well adapted for life in the Arctic. Firstly they are all-white, which helps them blend in with the sea ice, camouflaging them against predators, like polar bears and killer whales. Born dark grey, with a bluish or brownish tinge that gets lighter with age, belugas turn pure white around age seven in females and nine in males.

A yellowish tinge can develop during the winter sometimes in belugas, caused by thickening of the skin on their backs and fins. This yellowy hue is lost during summer moulting when they enter shallow coastal waters of estuaries and rub against gravel in river beds to slough their skin.

They also don’t have a dorsal fin, which enables them to more easily swim under the ice.

Other characteristics include a stocky rotund body, thick skin and a deep layer of blubber. They also have a distinctive domed forehead, which houses their melon (an organ that looks like a pocket filled with fat, also known as an echolocation organ). A beluga’s melon is large and flexible and means they are really good at echolocation.  

Did you know, unlike most other whales and dolphins, belugas can turn their heads from side to side, thanks to their neck vertebrae not being fused as they are in most other whales or dolphins.

How big are Beluga whales?

Males are slightly longer averaging 5.5m in length, compared to females, which measure 4.1m. They can weigh up to 1,600kg.

What do beluga whales eat?

Beluga whales are opportunistic eaters, adapting their diet to what’s available based on season and location. Their menu includes a wide variety of fish, from fatty favorites like salmon and herring to smaller forage fish. They also enjoy a healthy dose of invertebrates, including squid, clams, shrimp, crabs, and worms.

How many teeth do belugas have?

Between 36-40 small, blunt, slightly curved teeth, which they use to catch hold of prey.

Interestingly, despite having teeth, beluga whales don’t chew their food. Instead, they use their strong tongues and specially adapted throats to swallow their prey whole.

How do beluga whales track their prey?

They use their highly developed echolocation systems to hunt for fish near the seabed at around 30 or 40m deep, but they can dive much deeper for food – to around 6-700m. They use the their flexibile necks to hunt on the seabed and can squirt water to reveal any prey that might be hiding in silt on the ocean floor. They may also use suction to slurp prey into their mouths.

Do they use teamwork when feeding? 

Belugas often work together in groups, cooperating to drive and trap shoals of fish into shallow water.

Are beluga whales social?

They are very social creatures and rarely seen alone. Belugas regularly form small pods of around five to twenty-five individuals. Groups may be fluid and changeable, with individuals moving between different pods.

In summer months, belugas may migrate, and hundreds or thousands can gather in mega-pods, in river estuaries during their seasonal moult; this makes them highly vulnerable to hunting.

They’ve also been observed chasing each other, playing and rubbing against each other, swimming together in synchrony and playing with items they find in the water.

How fast can they swim?

Belugas are normally quite slow swimmers. They are one of the few types of whales that can swim backwards.

How long can beluga whales stay underwater?

They tend to only dive to shallow depths for a minute or so, and spend quite a bit of time on or just under the surface; however they can remain underwater for up to 20 minutes. They may spyhop, but they don’t breach (jump) out of the water like many other whales and dolphins do.  

How long do Beluga whales live for?

Beluga whales can live up to 90 years

How long will the calf stay with their mother?

Calves are dependent on their mother for nursing for the first year, then once they have teeth they start to supplement their diet with small prey. They may continue to nurse for more than two years. 

How do they breastfeed underwater?

Calves feed on milk from their mothers for at least 20 and sometimes more than 24 months.

They make short dives to feed from the mammary gland which is situated within a slit. Special muscles squirt the thick milk into the calf’s mouth – which uses its tongue to create a seal around the nipple while nursing.

• How do whales breastfeed underwater?

What sounds do belugas make? 

Belugas are highly vocal and sometimes known as the canaries of the sea.

With a repertoire of sounds is large, including whistles, trills, squawks, squeals and chirps, their amazing range of calls may be heard above water and even through the hulls of boats. 

While making sounds, the melon in their head alters in shape and their face and lip muscles can move changing their facial ‘expressions’.

Do they interact with other species of whale / dolphin?

Hybrids have been documented between the beluga and the narwhal (specifically offspring conceived by a beluga father and a narwhal mother)

Do they have natural predators?

Orcas will hunt and kill beluga whales. Polar bears may also attack belugas if the whales get trapped in the ice.

What are the main threats to beluga whales? 

• Hunting – is the most significant known threat. Beluga whales are hunted for human consumption off the coasts of Greenland, North America and Russia by Native peoples, including for profit; this has resulted in significant declines in some populations in Russia and Greenland.
• Pollution – toxic chemicals (including PCBs and heavy metals) from industrial sources may accumulate to high levels with serious impacts on health and reproduction. Beluga whales in the St Lawrence estuary in Canada are particularly affected by toxic chemicals. Plastic pollution, and oil spills can also impact beluga whales seriously harming their health and their ability to have young.