Listening in on a beluga back scrub
Belugas are highly social and found in pods of 2-25 whales. However for a few weeks in July, they come together in very large numbers (hundreds or even thousands) for their annual moult. Programme maker Elizabeth White took this rare opportunity to listen in on their underwater conversations.
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Elizabeth finally gets the chance to listen to the mysterious 'sea canary'.
Belugas are highly social animals and use squeaks and calls to communicate with each other. Sound travels particularly well in water, allowing them to speak to each other over very large distances.
Belugas are born grey and remain that colour for about the first three years of life before eventually turning their typical white or yellow-ish colour. These whales are unusual as they moult once a year (most species shed their skin in small amounts throughout the year as we do).
Most whale species have a very limited head movement because their vertebrae are fused together. Belugas however have bendy necks. The vertebrae are separate, meaning they can swivel their necks and look from side to side.
While Elizabeth's Frozen Planet colleagues were filming in Svalbard, they became aware of another unusual natural noise. The team soon discovered that an Arctic giant was making this sound, listen to the strange rumblings of a glacier on the move.
Published 17 November 2009
Elizabeth White
