Beluga Whale

ID points

• Adults are pure white all over, calves are grey
• No dorsal fin, just a low ridge along the back
• A rounded melon on the forehead that can change its shape

Basics

Family

Monodontidae

Length

3.5–5.5 m

Depth

0-700 m

Regions

Temperate & polar

Distribution

Arctic and subarctic seas

Habitat

Arctic coastal waters and ice edges

Diet

Fish, crustaceans

Easily confused with

NarwhalIn males the upper left canine grows out into a long spiral tuskCommon DolphinAn hourglass patch of cream and pale grey on the flankChinese White DolphinAdults pinkish white, calves dark grey, paling with age

Fun fact

The Beluga Whale can produce hundreds of different sounds, some of them close enough to human speech to have earned it the name sea canary. It can also change the shape of the melon on its forehead to fine-tune its echolocation.