BELUGA WHALE(DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS)
The Ocean's Most Beautiful Creature
THEIR HABITAT
Beluga whales are entirely arctic and subarctic creatures, living mostly in the Arctic Ocean as well as the seas that surround it. They swim in mostly shallow waters in the arctic and subarctic oceans during the winter time, but are found in warm water estuaries and river basins during the summertime. They typically do not dive very deep, only going about 66 feet underwater.
Arctic Ocean
This is the ocean in which Beluga Whales are primarily found.
Iceburg
This is a sample of one of the icebergs that the Beluga Whales are found swimming near.
Ocean Depth
This is a map of just how deep the ocean is so that you may gather perspective on how shallow the Belugas swim, considering they only go 66 feet under.
Beluga Whale Appearance
Beluga whales are easily distinguishable by their bright white color, though their children, or calves, are grey when they are first born. When they reach five years old they reach full maturity, being fully grown at around 16 to 22 feet long.
Beluga Whale DIet
The Beluga Whales eat primarily bottom feeders, which consist of things such as squid, crabs, octopus, and snails. They eat around 15 percent of their body weight a day, or around 18.5 pounds of food. Beluga Whales do not chew their food, instead electing to eat them whole.
Octopus
The Octopus is just one of the many things that a Beluga Whale might eat.
Snail
The Snail is just one of the many things that a Beluga Whale might eat.
Crab
The Crab is just one of the many things that a Beluga Whale might eat.
Beluga Whale Threats
Like most other whales, the Beluga Whale is threatened primarily by various human activities. Along with pollution, Beluga Whales are also extremely sought after by those that hunt various types of whales.
Pollution
This is a picture of but one of the many ways that humans manage to ruin the oceans through pollution.
Hunting
This is a picture of a Beluga Whale in 1995 that had been captured by whalers and had been severely mutilated. It shows how gruesome whaling is.
More Pollution
This is another picture showing the severe littering problem that is found in most ocean beaches.
Beluga Whale Reproduction
WHile Beluga Whales are fully grown at five years old, they start to become sexually active at around seven to nine years old if they are a male and four to seven years old if they are female. Mating season is done in march through may. The children are called calves, and they are born grey and become more white with age.
Beluga Whale Communication
Beluga Whales primarily use vocal sounds to both communicate as well as find breathing holes when they find themselves under a sheet of ice. There have been 11 documented different times of Beluga Sounds, which can usually be heard extremely well because of the loud volume.