Beluga Whale

General description

We started talking about the white whale or also known as Beluga.

The beluga at the level of taxonomy is known as Delphinapterus leucas. It is a species of cetacean that lives in the Arctic and subartica region, that is, in areas where the water is very cold.

Because it is fully adapted for life in the Arctic, it has a series of anatomical and physiological characteristics that differentiates it from other cetaceans, such as:

• Color: Completely white in adults, newborns are born of a gray with a dark gray.
• No dorsal fin: Lack of a dorsal fin.
• Sense of the ear: Very developed, it has echolocation that allows it to move and find vents under the ice sheets.
• Gregarious: They make groups of about ten individuals on average.
• Measures: Adults have a total length of 2.6 to 4.5 m and weigh up to 1,900 kg.

Distribution

• These marine animals have a circumpolar distribution.
• They are found in the Arctic and the Pacific subarctic.
• They live with polar bears.
• We find belugas on the coasts of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Norway and the Soviet Union.

Reproduction of the beluga

• They reach sexual maturity between four and seven years for males and four to nine years for females.
• To reproduce the males chase the females producing strong sounds.
• The gestation period is between 12 months and 14 months.
• They can have between two to three young.

Behavior of the beluga

• Vocal animals, because they produce high frequency sounds to communicate with each other.
• They are organized and cooperative when hunting in a group.
• With the human being is curious and sociable.

Diet

• Arctic cod.
• Salmon from the Pacific.
• Squids.
• Octopuses
• Clams

Threats

• Vulnerable:

• Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
  • Killer whales (Orcinus orca)