Beluga Whale

• It is nicknamed the "sea canary" for its wide repertoire of calls.
• It has no dorsal fin, an adaptation that lets it swim beneath solid sea ice.
• Its colour changes from brownish grey at birth to white in adulthood.
• comunicaciónIt can deliberately change the shape of its forehead using a fatty organ called the melon, used both for echolocation and possibly for social display.
• anatomíaIt is one of the few cetaceans able to turn its neck noticeably, because unlike many other cetaceans its neck vertebrae are not fused.

Skeleton type

Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (mammal)

Habitat and environment

Arctic and subarctic waters, including shallow, highly turbid estuaries

Birth weight

Born grey, lightening steadily to pure white in adulthood

Size at birth

Born grey

Sexual maturity

Female: ~5.75-5.9 years | Male: ~8.75 years

Gestation / incubation

12-15 months (more precise references give 435-491 days)

Litter / clutch size

1 young per birth, on a breeding cycle of some 3 years

Sources consulted: IAAAM Archive VIN; Journal of Cetacean Research (Cumberland Sound growth study); MarineBio; Ocean Info; Animal Diversity Web; Spiderzoon

The pins mark the parks and dive sites where its presence is documented.