Wildlife
Belugas come together in pods of hundreds and even thousands of individuals in the shallow waters of the arctic and sub-arctic seas. For insulation in these cold waters these whales have 10cm thick blubber and half their weight is fat. Beluga whales are very vocal: their chirps, squeaks and clicks are so distinctive they're nicknamed 'sea canaries'.
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Beluga body scrub
Large numbers of beluga whales gather in the shallows for an exfoliation treatment.
Large numbers of beluga whales gather in the shallows for an exfoliation treatment.
Listening in on a beluga back scrub
Hundreds of white whales gather in an Arctic estuary for their annual moult.
As hundreds of white whales gather in an Arctic estuary for their annual moult, Elizabeth White listens to their underwater chat.
Sea canaries
In the Canadian Arctic beluga whales have a sing-song when the ice recedes.
In the Canadian Arctic beluga whales have a sing-song when the ice recedes.
The Beluga whale can be found in a number of locations including: Arctic. Find out more about these places and what else lives there.
The following habitats are found across the Beluga whale distribution range. Find out more about these environments, what it takes to live there and what else inhabits them.
Discover what these behaviours are and how different plants and animals use them.
Additional data source: Animal Diversity Web
Near Threatened
Population trend: Unknown
Year assessed: 2008
Classified by: IUCN 3.1
The beluga or white whale, Delphinapterus leucas, is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal. This marine mammal is commonly referred to simply as the beluga or sea canary due to its high-pitched twitter. It is up to 5 m (16 ft) in length and an unmistakable all-white color with a distinctive protuberance on the head. From a conservation perspective, the beluga is considered "near threatened" by the International Union for Conservation of Nature; however the subpopulation from the Cook Inlet in Alaska is considered critically endangered and is under the protection of the United States' Endangered Species Act. Of seven Canadian beluga populations, two are listed as endangered, inhabiting eastern Hudson Bay, and Ungava Bay.
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Brackish water
Estuaries
Shallow seas
Open ocean
Adapted to swimming
Carnivorous
Nomadic
Active at birth
Social
Echolocation and ultrasound
Viviparous