This type of cetacean is considered a mysterious and mysterious marine life, and before you talk about it, you should find out what kind of mammal it is, since in some sources it belongs to different families. But it turns out that everything is very simple: the beluga whale is an arctic dolphin from the suborder of toothed whales. These animals are sometimes called sea canaries because of the sound signals that these creatures make when communicating with each other.
Appearance
A rather large mammal is the white whale (dolphin). How much this marine inhabitant weighs cannot be said with accuracy, since its body weight depends on gender. The male can reach a length of up to six meters, and at the same time reach a weight of 2 tons. Females are slightly smaller: their weight ranges from 1.5 tons. Compared to other cetaceans, these animals are smaller, they are considered medium in size.
Belukha (dolphin) has a small head relative to the size of its body. This marine inhabitant has a large spherical forehead, characteristic of all members of his family, but this mammal has a beak that is inherent in these mammals.no view.
A distinctive feature of the Arctic dolphin from other relatives is that it can turn its head in completely different directions. This ability is associated with the mobility of the cervical vertebrae, since in this mammal they are not fused, but are separated by cartilaginous layers, unlike its closest relatives.
The color of these animals is pure white, thanks to which they got their name. The body is covered with very thick skin, which has excellent thermal insulation. This type of mammal is endowed with small but wide pectoral fins and a powerful tail, thanks to which the white whale (dolphin) can swim quickly. The description of these animals suggests that they are very attractive in appearance and, like all their relatives, are sociable, cheerful, and also socially highly organized and friendly towards people.
Habitat
These mammals are distributed mainly in the areas of the Arctic Ocean. Beluga whale (dolphin) can also inhabit the waters of the Sea of Japan, Okhotsk, Bering, Barents, White and Kara and Chukchi Seas. In addition, this animal can be found in the waters of Northern Norway, as well as Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland and the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.
These mammals also live in large northern rivers such as the Ob or the Yenisei. But in any case, they prefer the open spaces of the sea, where a larger number of fish live, which make up the main part of the diet of belugas.
Lifestyle
Belukha (dolphin) preferslive in packs, which, in turn, are formed by several small groups, numbering from ten to one hundred animals. In the spring, mammals swim to the cold northern shores, where they spend all the warm seasons, since at this time of the year there are many different fish in shallow water.
At the same time, molting begins in dolphins, during which the upper dead layer of the skin slides off them in whole patches.
When the harsh Arctic cold sets in, the white whale (dolphin) leaves coastal areas and swims to places where many drifting glaciers accumulate.
Under water, these mammals can stay without air for a maximum of half an hour, and basically they emerge every two minutes. They orient themselves with the help of well-developed hearing or organs of chemical and sensory perception located on the surface of the tongue. They can hear the oars hitting the water from afar, the splashing of waves on the ice, and many other sounds that warn them of impending danger.
Food
Belukha (dolphin) is an animal that obtains its own food by hunting, which these mammals go out in small groups. Their prey is mainly polar cod, capelin, worms, flounder, cephalopods, navaga, crustaceans, cod and other varieties of small and medium-sized fish.
During their fishing, dolphins negotiate among themselves, during which they drive their prey into shallow water. They do not grab their food, but suck it into their mouths.entirely with the water stream and held there with the help of teeth.
Reproduction
Belugas mate exclusively in coastal areas with warm water, where they also bear their cubs. Therefore, their offspring are mainly born in the autumn-spring period. Pregnancy in a female lasts an average of fourteen months, after which she gives birth to one baby, reaching a length of up to 1.5 m and weighing up to 75 kg. The lactation period of a beluga whale lasts about one and a half years, during which she feeds her cub with milk.
These animals reach sexual maturity at about five years of age, and lose the ability to procreate at twenty years of age. At the same time, they live somewhere until the age of forty.
Danger
The enemies of these dolphins are the polar bear and killer whale, which are the most powerful predators. In winter, the land hunter settles down near large thawed patches in the middle of the ice in anticipation of the moment when his prey emerges for a breath of air. As soon as the beluga whale sticks out its head, at the same time, a powerful and clawed paw stuns it with a strong blow. After that, the bear takes the unconscious body onto the ice and eats it.
The second enemy of these animals also do not mind eating their thick fat layer. Therefore, killer whales do not miss the opportunity to attack dolphins underwater. It is not possible to escape a beluga whale from such a hunter, since it swims twice as slowly as this one.predator.
Interesting to know
Unlike its other relatives, this animal has very well developed muscles on the muzzle, thanks to which the beluga whale (dolphin) can show its emotions. Photos of these mammals captured how they can laugh, rejoice and even show contempt or indifference with their appearance.
From the Latin language, the name of these animals is translated as "dolphin without wings", since they do not have a fin on their backs.
It is also interesting that the white whale (dolphin) is born with a completely different body color. Photos of her cubs show that they are dark blue until they are one year old.
Currently, the population size of these mammals is unknown. But scientists and researchers believe that their number is increasing, albeit at a slow pace after the losses that this species suffered in past centuries due to hunting by whalers.
Belugas are highly trainable, so they are often used as artists in dolphinariums. In addition, they are safe: there has not yet been a single case of these dolphins attacking a person.
