Learn all about their unique adaptations and social behaviours in this expert guide from Whale and Dolpin Conservation. <\/p>
Learn all about the rather weird-looking – but fascinating – “white whale” from the experts at Whale and Dolphin Conservation<\/a><\/strong><\/p> Although Beluga whales look a bit like dolphins, they are whales and belong to the Monodontidae family<\/p> The beluga inhabits waters of the\u00a0sub-Arctic\u00a0and high Arctic, and are\u00a0found around the coasts of northern Canada, Alaska, Greenland and\u00a0northern Russia.\u00a0<\/p> Beluga whales are\u00a0well\u00a0adapted for life in the Arctic<\/a>. Firstly they are all-white, which helps them blend in with the sea ice, camouflaging them against predators, like polar bears<\/a> and killer whales<\/a>. 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.<\/p> A yellowish tinge can\u00a0develop during the winter\u00a0sometimes\u00a0in\u00a0belugas, caused by\u00a0thickening of the skin on their backs and\u00a0fins.\u00a0This yellowy hue\u00a0is lost\u00a0during summer moulting\u00a0when they enter shallow coastal waters of estuaries and rub against gravel in river beds to slough their skin.<\/p> They also don’t have a dorsal fin, which enables\u00a0them\u00a0to\u00a0more easily swim under the ice. <\/p> Other characteristics include a stocky\u00a0rotund\u00a0body, thick skin\u00a0and\u00a0a\u00a0deep\u00a0layer of blubber.\u00a0They also have a\u00a0distinctive 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. \u00a0<\/p> Did you know, unlike most other whales and dolphins, belugas\u00a0can turn their heads from side to side, thanks to their neck vertebrae not being fused as they are in most other whales or dolphins.<\/p> Discover other fascinating whale species<\/p> Males\u00a0are slightly longer averaging 5.5m in length, compared to females, which measure\u00a04.1m. They can weigh up to 1,600kg.<\/p> 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.<\/p> Between 36-40\u00a0small,\u00a0blunt, slightly curved teeth, which they use to catch hold of prey.<\/p> 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.<\/p> They\u00a0use their highly developed echolocation systems to\u00a0hunt for fish near the seabed at around 30 or 40m deep, but they can dive much deeper for food \u2013 to around 6-700m. They use the their flexibile\u00a0necks to hunt on the\u00a0seabed and can\u00a0squirt\u00a0water\u00a0to reveal any prey that might be hiding in silt on the ocean floor. They may also use suction to\u00a0slurp\u00a0prey into their mouths.<\/p> Belugas\u00a0often work together in\u00a0groups,\u00a0cooperating to\u00a0drive and trap shoals of fish into shallow water.<\/p> They are very social creatures and rarely seen alone. Belugas regularly form small pods of around\u00a0five to twenty-five\u00a0individuals. Groups may be fluid\u00a0and changeable, with individuals moving between different pods.<\/p> In summer months,\u00a0belugas\u00a0may\u00a0migrate,\u00a0and\u00a0hundreds\u00a0or thousands\u00a0can\u00a0gather\u00a0in mega-pods,\u00a0in river estuaries\u00a0during their seasonal moult; this makes them highly vulnerable to hunting.<\/p> They’ve also been observed chasing each other,\u00a0playing\u00a0and rubbing against each other, swimming together in synchrony and playing with items they find in the water. <\/p>What are Beluga whales?<\/h2>
Where do Beluga whales live?<\/h2>
What do Beluga whales look like?<\/h2>
How big are Beluga whales?<\/h2>
What <\/strong>do beluga whales eat?<\/h2>
How many teeth do\u00a0belugas have? <\/h3>
How do beluga whales track their prey?<\/h3>
Do they use teamwork when feeding?\u00a0<\/h3>
Are beluga whales social?<\/h2>
How fast can they swim?<\/h2>