# Beluga Whale (*Delphinapterus leucas*)

Beluga whales are white whales with rounded heads. They are known for their chirping and whistling sounds.

- **Category:** [Mammals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/mammal)
- **Rarity:** Rare
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Snaps:** 4
- **Habitat:** Cold Arctic and sub-Arctic seas.
- **Also known as:** Sea Canary, White Whale

![Beluga Whale](https://res.cloudinary.com/drieglelr/image/upload/v1771426315/objects/4393.jpg)

## Appearance

The Beluga Whale is a medium-sized cetacean with a distinct creamy white body and a rounded, bulbous forehead called a 'melon'. Unlike most whales, it lacks a dorsal fin and has a very flexible neck. Young belugas are born dark grey.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Cetacea
- **Family:** Monodontidae
- **Genus:** Delphinapterus

## Beluga, up close

The beluga or white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is a medium-sized toothed whale of Arctic and sub-Arctic seas. Adults are white, with a soft, bulging forehead called the melon, a flexible neck and a low ridge instead of a dorsal fin. Its only close living relative is the narwhal, and its many whistles and chirps earned it the nickname “canary of the sea”.

Also called: Beluga, White whale, Sea canary, Melonhead, Belukha (Russian).

The canary of the sea: a white whale with a shape-shifting forehead, a neck that turns and a voice full of whistles. Spin it, tap it, then test yourself.

### Special abilities

- **Shape-Shifting Melon** (5 melon shapes; still debated): Belugas are the only toothed whales known to visibly change the shape of their forehead. Scientists think it works like a facial expression, and it may also help aim sound. [3][2][1]
  - In a 2024 aquarium study, belugas made melon shapes 34 times more often during social encounters, and 94% of them in view of another whale.
  - Researchers named five shapes: flat, lift, press, push and shake. The shake is mostly made by males courting a female.
  - A computer model built from CT scans shows how the fatty melon beams sound forward. Whether changing its shape steers that beam is still being studied.
  - Melon shapes per minute: During social encounters 1.72; Outside social encounters 0.05
- **Echolocation** (80 m target range in noise tests): Belugas send out clicks and listen for the echoes to hunt and find their way, even in murky water or under the ice. [1][18][19][4][14]
  - One beluga moved from a quiet bay in San Diego to a noisier one in Hawaii made its clicks about an octave higher and up to 18 dB louder.
  - In tests with background noise, a beluga picked out echoes much fainter than a bottlenose dolphin could, from metal balls up to 80 m away.
  - Wild belugas off Greenland aim a beam only about 5° wide and sweep it up and down. Scientists think a narrow beam cuts out echoes from the ice and helps them find breathing holes.
  - The clicks come from the right-hand pair of phonic lips under the blowhole.
  - Peak click pitch of one beluga: Noisy bay (Kaneohe, Hawaii) 100–120 kHz; Quieter bay (San Diego) 40–60 kHz
- **Canary Calls** (41 call types in one population): Whistles, chirps, squeals, moos and clicks: belugas are so noisy that sailors long ago nicknamed them “sea canaries”. [1][20][21][22][23][24]
  - Scientists sorted 1,633 calls from Cook Inlet belugas into 41 types, most of them whistles.
  - A calf at the Vancouver Aquarium called within an hour of birth, whistled at 2 weeks, and by 20 months its main call closely resembled its mother’s.
  - Belugas briefly trapped in a shallow channel of an Arctic estuary used many different contact calls, possibly “signatures” that tell others who is calling.
  - Some calls are ultrasonic, reaching at least 144 kHz. St Lawrence belugas kept using them when boats were near, while other calls dropped.
  - In 2012, scientists published recordings of a beluga that spontaneously mimicked human voices.
  - Cook Inlet beluga calls (1,633 recorded): Whistles 77%; Pulsed calls 22%; Combined calls 1%
- **Flexible Neck** (Unfused neck bones): Most whales have neck bones that are fused together. A beluga’s are not, so it can nod and turn its head to look around. [1][12][3]
  - It can move its head up, down and from side to side.
  - Scientists think this helps it manoeuvre and catch prey in muddy or ice-covered water.
  - Scientists say the beluga also has the most mobile face of any toothed whale, thanks to its shape-changing melon.
- **Ice-Ready Back** (≈690 km travelled under sea ice): No dorsal fin, just a tough ridge. NOAA says this lets belugas swim easily under floating ice. [1][12][13][4]
  - In the far north, belugas hunt under sea ice that can cover 90–100% of the surface.
  - They have been documented travelling up to about 690 km (430 miles) under the ice from open water.
  - Scientists think their narrow sonar beam helps them find cracks and breathing holes in the pack ice.
  - The ice has risks: if the cracks freeze over, belugas can be trapped at small breathing holes, where polar bears hunt them.
- **Summer Shed** (2–3× faster skin growth than other mammals): In summer many belugas gather in shallow estuaries and rub on gravel and rocks to scrub off old, yellowish skin. [25][16][1]
  - At Cunningham Inlet in the Canadian Arctic, peak counts reached 762 to 1,741 belugas a summer. They stayed 27–38 days, rubbing all their skin on mud, pebbles and sharp limestone.
  - Warm, less salty river water softens the old outer skin, and scientists think rubbing speeds up the moult.
  - Beluga skin cells multiply 2–3 times faster than any rate reported for other whales or land mammals.
  - All ages rub, except newborn calves and their mothers.
- **Deep Diver** (900+ m deepest dives recorded): Belugas often feed in shallow water, but satellite-tagged belugas have dived deeper than 900 m in the Arctic Ocean. [26][27][28][1][29][30][31]
  - In the deep Canada Basin, tags recorded daily maximum dives of more than 900 m. In the western Beaufort Sea they dived most often to 200–300 m, where Arctic cod are most common.
  - Most dives last less than 18 minutes, though some reach 21 minutes. NOAA says dives can last up to 25 minutes.
  - Many deep dives go straight down to the seabed and back up, probably to feed.
  - In 1984 a trained beluga dived to 647 m, then the deepest measured dive of any marine mammal.
  - Deepest recorded dives: Beluga (wild, tagged) 900+ m; Beluga (trained, 1984) 647 m; Narwhal ≈1,200 m

### Body parts

- **Melon** (5 melon shapes seen) [1][2][3][4]
  - The melon is the soft, fatty bulge on the forehead. It shapes and aims the beluga’s sounds, including its echolocation clicks.
  - Belugas are the only toothed whales known to visibly change the shape of their head. Scientists have named five melon shapes: flat, lift, press, push and shake.
  - Its big, round head sends out a narrow sound beam: about 5° from top to bottom in wild belugas off Greenland.
- **Eyes** [1][5]
  - NOAA says belugas see sharply both in and out of the water.
  - In very silty water, such as Cook Inlet in Alaska in summer, they can see little and rely on sound instead.
  - In a 2026 aquarium study, two of four belugas inspected themselves in a mirror and one passed a “mark test”: early evidence that belugas may recognise themselves.
- **Ears** (150 kHz highest pitch heard) [6][7]
  - Hearing is a toothed whale’s main sense. Seven wild belugas tested in Alaska all heard sounds up to at least 128 kHz, and two heard up to 150 kHz.
  - They heard best between about 45 and 80 kHz.
  - Toothed whales are thought to pick up sound mainly through the lower jaw. In one beluga that was tested, the most sensitive spot was the tip of the lower jaw.
- **Mouth and teeth** (32–40 teeth) [1][8][9][10][11][12]
  - A beluga has 32 to 40 simple teeth, but it swallows its prey whole. Suction is its main way of catching food near the seabed.
  - It can purse its lips into a small round opening. In tests, belugas made suction of up to 126 kPa.
  - Each tooth adds one growth layer a year, like a tree ring, so scientists count the layers to find a beluga’s age.
  - On the menu: fish such as Arctic cod, salmon, herring and capelin, plus squid, octopus, shrimp, crabs and worms.
- **Blowhole** [13][14]
  - Belugas breathe through the blowhole on top of the head. Sometimes only the blowhole breaks the surface, a trick called “snorkelling”.
  - They spend only about 4–7% of their time at the surface.
  - Below the blowhole are two pairs of “phonic lips” that make sounds. Belugas click with the right pair and make whistles and most other calls with the left.
- **Neck** (Unfused neck bones) [1][12]
  - Unlike most whales, a beluga’s neck bones are not fused together.
  - So it can nod and turn its head up, down and from side to side.
  - This may help it manoeuvre and catch prey in silty or ice-covered water.
- **Flippers** [12]
  - Short, broad and paddle-shaped.
  - In older males the flipper tips curve upwards.
  - Males can grow up to 25% longer than females.
- **Back** (0 dorsal fins) [1][12][15][16]
  - No dorsal fin, just a tough, narrow ridge along the back.
  - Its scientific name means “white dolphin without a fin”: Delphinapterus is “dolphin without a fin (or wing)” and leucas comes from the word for white.
  - NOAA says the finless back lets belugas swim easily under sheets of floating ice.
  - In spring the back often looks yellowish. That old skin comes off during the summer moult.
- **Tail fluke** [12][8][17]
  - A broad tail fluke with a deep notch in the middle.
  - Belugas are slow swimmers that often ride the currents, and they rarely lift the tail out of the water when they dive.
  - Tagged wild belugas swam down at up to about 2.5 m every second.
- **Blubber** (up to 40% of its weight) [13][1]
  - A thick layer of blubber, up to about 13 cm thick, keeps a beluga warm and stores energy.
  - Blubber can make up 40% of a beluga’s weight.
  - Newborn calves don’t have thick blubber yet, so mothers give birth in warmer, shallow estuaries.

### Stats

| Stat | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Length | 3.5–5.5 m | adults; males up to 25% longer than females [12] |
| Weight | up to 1,500 kg | adult males are the biggest [12][13] |
| Newborn | ≈1.6 m | and about 78 kg at birth; Grows to 3.5–5.5 m [12] |
| Deepest dive | 900+ m | satellite-tagged belugas, Arctic Ocean [26][30] |
| Breath-hold | up to 25 min | most dives last less than 18 min [1][27][28] |
| Teeth | 32–40 | each adds one growth layer a year [1][10] |
| Blubber | up to 40% | of body weight; up to about 13 cm thick [1][13] |
| Hearing | up to 150 kHz | all 7 wild belugas tested heard at least 128 kHz [6] |
| Lifespan | 60–80+ yrs | from yearly tooth layers; the most counted is 80 [10][12][1] |
| Worldwide | ≈150,000–200,000 | in 21 known stocks; estimates vary [8][34] |

### Photos

- [Adult beluga in the Churchill River, Hudson Bay, Canada](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beluga_1_1999-07-03_cropped.jpg) (photo: Ansgar Walk, CC BY-SA 2.5)
- [A summer gathering near Churchill, Manitoba](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belugaschule_1999-07-02.jpg) (photo: Ansgar Walk, CC BY 2.5)
- [Mother and grey calf in the St Lawrence, Quebec](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:St._Lawrence_beluga_and_calf.jpg) (photo: Saucoin, CC BY-SA 4.0)
- [Adult female with her dark calf in Cook Inlet, Alaska](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beluga847.jpg) (photo: Janice Waite, NOAA, Public domain)
- [A grey beluga: grey skin is a sign of a young animal (Vancouver Aquarium)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beluga_whale(Vancouver)01(js).jpg) (photo: Jerzy Strzelecki, CC BY 3.0)
- [The melon and the flexible neck (Vancouver Aquarium)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Delphinapterus_leucas_head_1.jpg) (photo: Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0)
- [From above you can see there is no dorsal fin](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anim1108_-_Flickr_-_NOAA_Photo_Library.jpg) (photo: Kristin Laidre, Polar Science Center, University of Washington (NOAA Photo Library), Public domain)
- [Tail fluke in the St Lawrence at Tadoussac, Quebec](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Beluga_Whale_Tadoussac_Quebec_Canada_Luca_Galuzzi_2005.jpg) (photo: Luca Galuzzi, CC BY-SA 2.5)
- [Belugas in the Naknek River, Alaska](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Belugas_in_Naknek_River%2C_King_Salmon_2_copy_(10981743233).jpg) (photo: Katmai National Park and Preserve, Public domain)
- [Side view underwater (Vancouver Aquarium)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Delphinapterus_leucas_20.jpg) (photo: iwona_kellie (Flickr), CC BY 2.0)

### Questions

- **Why are belugas called canaries of the sea?** Because they are so noisy. Belugas whistle, chirp, squeal, moo and click, and sailors long ago nicknamed them “sea canaries”. One study sorted the calls of Cook Inlet belugas into 41 types. [1][20]
- **Are beluga whales dangerous to people?** We found no scientific reports of wild belugas attacking people. But they are big wild animals, up to 1,500 kg, and getting close disturbs them. Watch from a distance: NOAA asks for at least 100 yards (about 90 m) in the US, and Canada requires 400 m from St Lawrence belugas. Never touch or feed one. [12][1][47]
- **When do belugas turn white?** Slowly. Newborns are brown or slate-grey, turn blue-grey and then grey, and fade to pure white after about 14 years in females and 18 in males. St Lawrence researchers count belugas as white adults from about 8–12 years. [12][8]
- **How deep can belugas dive?** Satellite-tagged wild belugas have dived deeper than 900 m in the Arctic Ocean. Most dives last less than 18 minutes, and NOAA says they can last up to 25 minutes. [26][27][1]
- **How long do belugas live?** Belugas can live 60 years or more. Each tooth adds one growth layer a year, and the most layers counted in a beluga tooth is 80. A 70-year-old female in Alaska was even pregnant. [10][1]
- **Are beluga whales endangered?** Not as a species: the IUCN lists the beluga as Least Concern. But the Cook Inlet population in Alaska, about 331 whales, is Critically Endangered, and Canada lists the St Lawrence belugas as endangered. [46][34][1][8]
- **What is the difference between a beluga and a narwhal?** They are cousins in the same family, Monodontidae. Adult belugas are white and have 32–40 teeth. Narwhals are mottled and have just two teeth; in most males the left one grows into a tusk up to about 3 m long. [34][1][31]
- **Is beluga caviar made from beluga whales?** No. Beluga caviar is made from the eggs of the beluga sturgeon (Huso huso), a fish that is now Critically Endangered. [36][37]

### Beluga myths and facts

Tap Myth or Fact for each claim, then check the answer.

- "Belugas are white from birth." **Myth!** Newborns are brown or slate-grey. They turn blue-grey, then grey, and only become pure white in their teens: after about 14 years in females and 18 in males. [12][8][1]
- "Belugas are dolphins." **Myth!** Their genus name means “dolphin without a fin”, but belugas belong to their own family, Monodontidae, with the narwhal. DNA shows porpoises are closer relatives than true dolphins. [1][34][35]
- "Beluga caviar comes from beluga whales." **Myth!** It comes from the beluga sturgeon (Huso huso), a large fish that is now Critically Endangered. Both names come from the Russian word for white. [36][37]
- "A beluga once imitated human voices." **Fact!** In 2012 scientists published recordings of a beluga making speech-like sounds that copied human voices. Nobody had trained it to. [24]
- "Belugas can’t turn their heads." **Myth!** Their neck bones aren’t fused like most whales’, so they can nod and turn their heads from side to side. [1][12]
- "Belugas only live in icy Arctic seas." **Myth!** Some live all year in the sub-Arctic St Lawrence Estuary and Cook Inlet. One was found about 1,340 km up the Yukon River, and lone belugas have wandered as far south as New Jersey. Fossils show their relatives once lived in warm seas off Italy. [34][13][38]
- "Belugas change their skin every summer." **Fact!** Many belugas moult in summer. In warm, shallow estuaries they rub on gravel and rocks to scrub off old, yellowish skin. [16][25][1]
- "Belugas only live about 25–30 years." **Myth!** Older studies assumed teeth grow two layers a year and put the top age at about 25. Bomb-carbon tests in 2006 showed it is one layer a year, so belugas live twice as long as thought: 60 years or more. [39][10][11]

### Beluga records

Superlatives and record holders, each checked against its source.

- Deepest measured dive of its time: A trained white whale, 647 m (In 1984, the deepest measured dive of any marine mammal, apart from sperm whales tangled in deep-sea cables) [30]
- Deepest wild beluga dives: Satellite-tagged belugas, 900+ m (Canada Basin, Arctic Ocean) [26]
- Biggest beluga population: Western Hudson Bay, Canada, ≈54,500 (counted from the air in 2015; Hudson Bay has the largest summer gathering in the world) [34][40]
- First whale shown to copy human voices on its own: A white whale, 2012 (recordings published in Current Biology) [24]
- Fastest-growing skin measured: Belugas, 2–3× (skin-cell growth faster than any rate reported for other whales or land mammals) [16]
- Oldest mother-to-be on record in north-west Alaska: A wild female beluga, 70 yrs (the oldest female studied there was carrying a calf almost ready to be born) [1]
- Only known beluga–narwhal hybrid: A skull from West Greenland, 1 (found in 1990; DNA showed a narwhal mother and a beluga father (2019)) [41]

### Life of a beluga

From a grey newborn to a white adult that can live 60 years or more.

- **Summer, day 1**: Born in warm water. Calves are born in summer in shallow estuaries, where the water is warmer. A newborn is brown or slate-grey, about 1.6 m long and 78 kg. [1][12]
- **First hour**: First calls. An aquarium calf called within an hour of being born and started to whistle at 2 weeks old. [21]
- **0–2 years**: Milk, then fish. Calves drink milk for at least 2 years and start eating fish and other animals after their first year. [1][12]
- **≈2 years**: Blue-grey to grey. The blue-grey calf becomes a grey juvenile. In French, these young belugas are called “bleuvets”. [8]
- **6–14 years**: Grown up. Females can breed from about 6–14 years old; males mature a little later. Many females are still light grey. [1][12]
- **14–18 years**: Pure white. The last grey fades: after about 14 years in females and 18 in males. [12]
- **Every 2–3 years**: A new calf. A pregnancy lasts about 14–15 months, and a mother has one calf every 2–3 years. [1][12]
- **60–80+ years**: A long life. Tooth layers show belugas can live 60 years or more. Like killer whales and people, females can live on for years after their last calf. [10][12][42][1]

### Beluga migration

Most belugas travel between winter areas near the sea ice and summer estuaries. A few small populations stay in one area all year.

- **2,400+ km** Bering Sea to the Mackenzie Delta. Some belugas swim more than 2,400 km (1,500 miles) between winter in the Bering Sea and summer waters off Canada’s Mackenzie River delta. [13]
- **Same place** every summer. Belugas return to the same summer areas year after year. Related belugas travel together, which may help young whales learn the routes. [1][12][43]
- **2–4+ weeks** later autumn trips. As sea ice forms later in the year, one Alaskan population now starts its autumn migration 2 to more than 4 weeks later than in the 1990s. [44]
- **76%** of travel hours with a feeding dive. Belugas keep eating on the road: tagged whales made at least one feeding dive in 75.8% of their travelling hours. [45]
- **Year-round** stay-at-home groups. Belugas in Cook Inlet, Cumberland Sound and the St Lawrence Estuary stay in or near the same area all year. [34][12]

### Are beluga whales endangered?

Belugas as a species are not threatened, but several small populations are in trouble, and noise, pollution and a warming Arctic are growing problems.

- **IUCN Red List:** Least Concern (LC) (Trend unknown). Roughly 150,000–200,000 belugas live in 21 known stocks. Some are stable, but for many the trend is unknown, and the small Cook Inlet, St Lawrence and Cumberland Sound groups have been declining. A stock off south-west Greenland was probably wiped out more than 80 years ago. In Canada, the St Lawrence belugas (about 1,850 in 2023) are listed as endangered. [46][8][34][47]
- IUCN Red List, 2017 assessment.
- **Threat: Noise** (35–50 km): Belugas panicked when icebreakers were still 35–50 km away and moved up to 80 km off. Ship noise also drowns out calls: scientists estimate a newborn’s quiet calls carry only about 170 m in boat noise. [33][48][20]
- **Threat: Warming Arctic** (5–10 weeks): Between 1979 and 2013, the season with little sea ice grew 5–10 weeks longer in most Arctic regions. As the ice opens up, killer whales, which hunt belugas, now reach Hudson Bay every summer. [49][50]
- **Threat: Pollution**: Chemicals build up in belugas’ blubber. The St Lawrence population lives beside a busy shipping route and a heavily polluted river basin, and pollution is one of the threats slowing its recovery. [1][12][51]
- **Threat: Past overhunting** (1,300 → 279): Cook Inlet belugas fell by nearly 80% between 1979 and 2018, most likely because of too much hunting for such a small group. Hunting there has been stopped. [1]
- **Helping: Legal protection** (7,800 km²): Cook Inlet belugas have been listed as endangered in the United States since 2008, with 7,800 km² of protected “critical habitat” since 2011. [1][52]
- **Helping: Keeping a distance** (400 m): In Canada, boats must stay 400 m from St Lawrence belugas. In the United States, NOAA asks people to stay at least 100 yards (about 90 m) away. [47][1]
- **Helping: Working with hunters**: Indigenous hunters and scientists manage beluga hunts together, for example through the Alaska Beluga Whale Committee, set up in 1988. Catch limits in West Greenland seem to be helping that stock recover. [13][12]
- **Helping: Cleaner water**: After toxic chemicals such as PCBs were regulated, fewer adult St Lawrence belugas had cancer. [51]
- **Helping: Citizen science**: In Alaska, volunteers report beluga sightings, help with photo-ID studies and join the yearly Belugas Count! event. [53]
- **Cook Inlet belugas (Alaska)** (CR): Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and endangered under US law. The latest estimate of about 331 whales suggests the population may be stabilising, but it is far below the roughly 1,300 of 1979. [34][1]
- **Narwhal (closest relative)** (LC): Least Concern overall, but some narwhal stocks, such as those in Melville Bay and East Greenland, are of high concern. [54][34]

### Beluga vs narwhal

The beluga and the narwhal are the only two living members of the family Monodontidae: Arctic toothed whales without a dorsal fin.

| | Beluga | Narwhal |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name [34] | Delphinapterus leucas | Monodon monoceros |
| Adult colour [12][31] | Pure white | Whitish with black mottling |
| Newborn [12][31] | Brown or slate-grey, ≈1.6 m | Brownish-grey, ≈1.5 m |
| Teeth [1][31] | 32–40 simple teeth | 2 in the upper jaw; in most males the left grows into a tusk up to ≈3 m |
| Dorsal fin [1][31] | None, just a ridge | None, just a ridge |
| Length [12][31] | 3.5–5.5 m | up to ≈4.2 m (females), ≈4.8 m (males) |
| Weight [12][31] | up to 1,500 kg | up to ≈1,000 kg (females), ≈1,600 kg (males) |
| Deepest dives [26][31][55] | 900+ m | ≈1,200 m; in winter some spend over 3 h a day below 800 m |
| Where [12][8][31] | Arctic and sub-Arctic, south to the St Lawrence | Mostly the Atlantic side of the Arctic |
| Menopause [42][1] | Yes | Yes |
| IUCN status [46][54] | Least Concern | Least Concern |

Only one beluga–narwhal hybrid is known: see the records above.

### Beluga signals

- Flat melon: One of the most common melon shapes, and almost the only one seen when a beluga is not interacting with others. [3]
- Melon pushed forward into a ball: Seen during tense or aggressive encounters between aquarium belugas. [3]
- Melon shake: Mostly a male shaking his head at a female while courting. [3]
- Open mouth with a melon shape: Sometimes added to a melon display. How often depends on the shape and the situation. [3]
- Contact calls: Help mothers, calves and group members keep in touch, especially when they get separated. [22][8]
- Going quiet: St Lawrence belugas called less and less as boats came closer. [32]
- Noisy alarm calls, then fleeing: Belugas did this when icebreakers were still 35–50 km away. [33]
- Rubbing on gravel in summer: Skin care: scrubbing off old skin during the moult. [25]

### Ages

- **Adult**: Pure white. Before the summer moult the skin on the back can look yellowish. (Fully white in the teens: after about 14 years in females and 18 in males (estimates vary)) [12][16][8]
- **Juvenile**: Blue-grey at first, then grey, slowly turning paler year by year. (From about 2 years old until adulthood; many females are still light grey when they first breed) [8][12]
- **Calf (with mother)**: Born brown or slate-grey, about 1.6 m long and 78 kg. (Stays close to its mother and drinks milk for at least 2 years) [12][1]

### Beluga quiz

1. Why are belugas called “canaries of the sea”? **They make lots of whistles, chirps and other sounds.** Belugas whistle, chirp, squeal, moo and click, so sailors nicknamed them sea canaries. [1]
2. What is a beluga’s melon? **The fatty forehead that shapes its sounds.** The melon shapes and aims sound, and belugas can even change its shape. [1][3]
3. What colour is a newborn beluga? **Brown or slate-grey.** Belugas are born brown or slate-grey and only turn pure white in their teens. [12]
4. Why can a beluga turn its head? **Its neck bones are not fused.** Unlike most whales, its neck bones are separate, so it can nod and turn. [1][12]
5. What does a beluga have instead of a dorsal fin? **A tough ridge.** A tough ridge runs along its back, which helps it swim under floating ice. [1]
6. How deep have tagged wild belugas dived? **More than 900 m.** Satellite tags recorded dives of more than 900 m in the Arctic Ocean. [26]
7. How do belugas get rid of old skin in summer? **They rub on gravel and rocks.** In warm, shallow estuaries they rub their whole body on mud, pebbles and rocks. [25]
8. Which animal is the beluga’s closest living relative? **Narwhal.** Belugas and narwhals are the only two members of the family Monodontidae. [34]
9. Where does beluga caviar come from? **The beluga sturgeon, a fish.** Beluga caviar is made from the eggs of the beluga sturgeon, which is Critically Endangered. [36][37]
10. What surprising thing did one beluga do? **Copy human voices.** In 2012 scientists published recordings of a beluga mimicking human voices. [24]
11. Which beluga population is Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List? **Cook Inlet, Alaska.** About 331 belugas live in Cook Inlet, down from about 1,300 in 1979. [34][1]
12. How do scientists work out a beluga’s age? **By counting yearly layers in its teeth.** Each tooth adds one growth layer a year, like a tree ring. [1][10]

### Sources (checked 2026-10-16)

1. [NOAA Fisheries. Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas): species page.](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/beluga-whale)
2. [Ou W, Song Z, Goertz CEC et al. (2025). Directional sound transmission and reception of the beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas). Bioinspir Biomim 20:036007.](https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-3190/adc5bd)
3. [Richard JT, Pellegrini I, Levine R (2024). Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) create facial displays during social interactions by changing the shape of their melons. Anim Cogn 27:7.](https://doi.org/10.1007/s10071-024-01843-z)
4. [Zahn MJ, Laidre KL, Stilz P, Rasmussen MH, Koblitz JC (2021). Vertical sonar beam width and scanning behavior of wild belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in West Greenland. PLoS ONE 16:e0257054.](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0257054)
5. [Mildener A, Buchman D, Ragir S, Reiss D (2026). Evidence for mirror self-recognition in beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas). PLoS ONE 21:e0348287.](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0348287)
6. [Castellote M, Mooney TA, Quakenbush L, Hobbs R, Goertz C, Gaglione E (2014). Baseline hearing abilities and variability in wild beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas). J Exp Biol 217:1682–1691.](https://doi.org/10.1242/jeb.093252)
7. [Pacini A, Nachtigall PE, Mooney TA et al. (2008). Directional sensitivity and hearing pathways in the beluga whale, Delphinapterus leucas. J Acoust Soc Am 123:3506 (meeting abstract).](https://doi.org/10.1121/1.2934397)
8. [GREMM / Baleines en direct. Beluga (Delphinapterus leucas): species fact sheet.](https://baleinesendirect.org/en/discover/the-species-of-the-st-lawrence/the-13-species/beluga/)
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10. [Stewart REA, Campana SE, Jones CM, Stewart BE (2006). Bomb radiocarbon dating calibrates beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) age estimates. Can J Zool 84:1840–1852.](https://doi.org/10.1139/z06-182)
11. [Waugh DA, Suydam RS, Ortiz JD, Thewissen JGM (2018). Validation of Growth Layer Group (GLG) depositional rate using daily incremental growth lines in the dentin of beluga teeth. PLoS ONE 13:e0190498.](https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0190498)
12. [NAMMCO (North Atlantic Marine Mammal Commission). Beluga (white whale).](https://nammco.no/topics/beluga/)
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17. [Martin AR, Smith TG (1992). Deep diving in wild, free-ranging beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas. Can J Fish Aquat Sci 49:462–466.](https://doi.org/10.1139/f92-055)
18. [Au WWL, Carder DA, Penner RH, Scronce BL (1985). Demonstration of adaptation in beluga whale echolocation signals. J Acoust Soc Am 77:726–730.](https://doi.org/10.1121/1.392341)
19. [Turl CW, Penner RH, Au WWL (1987). Comparison of target detection capabilities of the beluga and bottlenose dolphin. J Acoust Soc Am 82:1487–1491.](https://doi.org/10.1121/1.395192)
20. [Brewer AM, Castellote M, Van Cise AM, Gage T, Berdahl AM (2023). Communication in Cook Inlet beluga whales: describing the vocal repertoire and masking of calls by commercial ship noise. J Acoust Soc Am 154:3487–3505.](https://doi.org/10.1121/10.0022516)
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23. [Vergara V, Mikus M-A, Chion C, Lagrois D, Marcoux M, Michaud R (2025). Effects of vessel noise on beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) call type use: ultrasonic communication as an adaptation to noisy environments? Biol Open 14:bio061783.](https://doi.org/10.1242/bio.061783)
24. [Ridgway S, Carder D, Jeffries M, Todd M (2012). Spontaneous human speech mimicry by a cetacean. Curr Biol 22:R860–R861.](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2012.08.044)
25. [Smith TG, St. Aubin DJ, Hammill MO (1992). Rubbing behaviour of belugas, Delphinapterus leucas, in a high Arctic estuary. Can J Zool 70:2405–2409.](https://doi.org/10.1139/z92-322)
26. [Hauser DDW, Laidre KL, Parker-Stetter SL, Horne JK, Suydam RS, Richard PR (2015). Regional diving behavior of Pacific Arctic beluga whales Delphinapterus leucas and possible associations with prey. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 541:245–264.](https://doi.org/10.3354/meps11530)
27. [Heide-Jørgensen MP, Richard PR, Rosing-Asvid A (1998). Dive patterns of belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in waters near eastern Devon Island. Arctic 51(1).](https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic1041)
28. [Citta JJ, Suydam RS, Quakenbush LT, Frost KJ, O'Corry-Crowe GM (2013). Dive behavior of Eastern Chukchi beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas), 1998–2008. Arctic 66(4).](https://doi.org/10.14430/arctic4326)
29. [Martin AR, Smith TG, Cox OP (1998). Dive form and function in belugas Delphinapterus leucas of the eastern Canadian High Arctic. Polar Biol 20:218–228.](https://doi.org/10.1007/s003000050299)
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31. [NOAA Fisheries. Narwhal (Monodon monoceros): species page.](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/narwhal)
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33. [Finley KJ, Greene CR (1993). Long-range responses of belugas and narwhals to ice-breaking ships in the Northwest Passage. J Acoust Soc Am 94:1828–1829 (meeting abstract).](https://doi.org/10.1121/1.407764)
34. [Hobbs RC, Reeves RR, Prewitt JS et al. (2019). Global review of the conservation status of monodontid stocks. Mar Fish Rev 81(3–4):1–53.](https://doi.org/10.7755/MFR.81.3-4.1)
35. [Waddell VG, Milinkovitch MC, Bérubé M, Stanhope MJ (2000). Molecular phylogenetic examination of the Delphinoidea trichotomy: porpoises (Phocoenidae) share a more recent common ancestry with white whales (Monodontidae) than they do with true dolphins (Delphinidae). Mol Phylogenet Evol 15:314–318.](https://doi.org/10.1006/mpev.1999.0751)
36. [Merriam-Webster Dictionary. beluga.](https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/beluga)
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39. [Sergeant DE (1973). Biology of white whales (Delphinapterus leucas) in western Hudson Bay. J Fish Res Board Can 30:1065–1090.](https://doi.org/10.1139/f73-178)
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43. [Colbeck GJ, Duchesne P, Postma LD, Lesage V, Hammill MO, Turgeon J (2013). Groups of related belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) travel together during their seasonal migrations in and around Hudson Bay. Proc R Soc B 280:20122552.](https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2012.2552)
44. [Hauser DDW, Laidre KL, Stafford KM, Stern HL, Suydam RS, Richard PR (2017). Decadal shifts in autumn migration timing by Pacific Arctic beluga whales are related to delayed annual sea ice formation. Glob Change Biol 23:2206–2217.](https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.13564)
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## Measurements & details

- **Length:** 350-550 cm
- **Weight:** 1000-1500 kg
- **Lifespan:** 35-80 years
- **Litter Size:** 1
- **Gestation:** 425-455 days

## Diet & Feeding

These marine mammals enjoy eating fish, squid, and crustaceans from the cold ocean floor.

- **Primary Foods:** Cod, Halibut, Shrimp, Squid, Crab
- **Foraging Method:** Foraging

## Ecological connections

- **Eaten by:** [Orca](https://www.snappit.app/explore/orca) (*Orcinus orca*) — Major predator in open waters.
- **Eaten by:** [Polar Bear](https://www.snappit.app/explore/polar-bear) (*Ursus maritimus*) — Preys on belugas trapped in ice openings.
- **Hunts:** Arctic Cod (*Boreogadus saida*) — One of the fish belugas eat, along with salmon, herring and capelin.

## Traits

- [Furry](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/furry): Furry describes animals possessing a dense covering of soft hair or fur.
- [Webbed Feet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/webbed-feet): Characterized by having toes connected by a membrane, typically aiding in swimming.
- [Social](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/social): Social animals live in organized groups, cooperating for survival benefits such as foraging, defense, and raising offspring.
- [Piscivorous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/piscivorous): Piscivorous organisms are animals that primarily subsist on a diet of fish.
- [Echolocation](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/echolocation): Echolocation is a biological sonar used by animals to navigate, hunt, and communicate by emitting sound waves and interpreting the echoes.
- [Keystone Species](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/keystone-species): Describes a species whose presence and role have a disproportionately large effect on its environment.
- [Aquatic](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/aquatic): Aquatic habitats encompass environments where organisms live predominantly in water, including oceans, rivers, lakes, and wetlands.
- [Marine](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/marine): Marine habitats encompass all saltwater environments of the Earth's oceans, supporting an immense diversity of aquatic life.
- [Migratory](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/migratory): Migratory animals undertake seasonal movements from one region to another, typically in response to changes in climate or food availability.
- [Nocturnal](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/nocturnal): Nocturnal animals are primarily active during the nighttime hours, typically resting or sleeping during the day.

## Collections

- [Mammals](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/mammals)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Avoid close contact — they are large wild animals. Watch from far away and never touch or feed a beluga.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Beluga Whale?

Compare ears, muzzle, tail, feet and coat markings. Size is hard to judge without something nearby for scale, and young mammals may not have adult coloring yet. Mammal Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How long is Beluga Whale?

350-550 cm

### How much does Beluga Whale weigh?

1000-1500 kg

### How long does Beluga Whale live?

35-80 years

### What does Beluga Whale eat?

These marine mammals enjoy eating fish, squid, and crustaceans from the cold ocean floor.

### Where is Beluga Whale usually found?

Cold Arctic and sub-Arctic seas.

### How does Beluga Whale hunt?

Foraging

### How many babies does Beluga Whale usually have?

1

## Where to spot

- [Sunrise](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/sunrise) — Alaska, US · Neighborhood
- [SeaWorld San Diego](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/seaworld-san-diego) — California, US · Aquarium
- [Shedd Aquarium](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/shedd-aquarium) — Illinois, US · Aquarium
- [Shedd Aquarium](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/shedd-aquarium-illinois) — Illinois, US · Zoo
- [Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/mystic-aquarium-and-institute-for-exploration) — Connecticut, US · Aquarium
- [SeaWorld San Diego](https://www.snappit.app/guides/places/seaworld-san-diego-california) — California, US · Zoo

[View all places to see Beluga Whale](https://www.snappit.app/guides/where-to-see/beluga-whale)

## More Mammals

- [Eastern Fox Squirrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-fox-squirrel) (*Sciurus niger*)
- [Eastern Cottontail](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-cottontail) (*Sylvilagus floridanus*)
- [Eastern Chipmunk](https://www.snappit.app/explore/eastern-chipmunk) (*Tamias striatus*)
- [California Ground Squirrel](https://www.snappit.app/explore/california-ground-squirrel) (*Otospermophilus beecheyi*)

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Source: [Beluga Whale: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/beluga-whale)