In some places, like Svalbard, they are resident in coastal waters year round with no pattern to movements. Mating occurs in spring, and each summer many belugas migrate in great numbers to the comparatively warm, shallow waters of fresh water rivers to calve. Male belugas reach sexual maturity at 8-9 years, females at 5 years. Because it swallows its food whole, the beluga's teeth are not used for chewing, but for grasping and holding prey. It has about 10 conical shaped teeth on each side of its upper and lower jaw. A beluga consumes 50-60 pounds of food a day. It is especially fond of young salmon, and groups of belugas sometimes gather at the mouths of rivers to feed on the salmon as they return from their fresh water spawning grounds to the sea. The beluga's diet is varied, and consists of small squid, crabs, clams, shrimp, sandworms, and various kinds of fish such as capelin, sandlance, and polar and arctic cod. Females are considerably smaller than males on the Eastern side of the Atlantic. Adult females measure 3.9-4.2 meters (13-14 feet), with a maximum length of 5.2 meters (17 feet), and weigh about 3,000 pounds. Length and WeightĪdult males measure 5 meters (14-16 feet), with a maximum length of 5.3 meters (20 feet), and weigh about 3,300 pounds. The fluke is broad with a deep central notch. Its flippers are short, broad, and curled up at the tip in adults. The ridge is sometimes notched, and may be a dark color. Instead of a fin it has a narrow ridge which runs down the rear half of its back. Fins and Flukeīecause it has no dorsal (back) fin the beluga can swim freely under floating ice. Calves are dark gray they become lighter in color with age and at full maturity they become white, though they retain some dark color on the edge of the flippers and flukes. The beluga's neck is narrower than the necks of other whales, and it also differs from most whales - whose neck vertebrae are fused - in that its 7 neck vertebrae are free, which allows it to nod and turn its head.Īdult belugas are almost completely white. Its head is rounded, and it has a short beak and a prominent, protruding forehead called the "melon". The beluga's body is thick, muscular, and tapered at both ends, with a small head and a narrow caudal peduncle (tail stock). Thick blubber makes it possible for the beluga to live in extremely cold water, and a back with no dorsal fin allows it to move freely under ice. Some scientists call this whale "belukha", to differentiate it from the beluga sturgeon (the fish from which we get caviar). Its white color is also the source of its name, which comes from the Russian word for white. The beluga, a medium-size toothed whale, is white, a color adaptation to its environment - it lives primarily in the Arctic.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |