Beluga Whale
| Scientific Name | Anatomy | Habitat/Distribution | |
| Food & Feeding | Social Groups | Reproduction | World Population |
Scientific Name
Delphinapterus leucas
Size:
--- beluga whales
grow to be about 15 feet long on average
---
they can weigh up to about 3,300 pounds
---
males are slightly larger than females
Food &
Feeding:
--- belugas are toothed whales with 34 teeth
--- the teeth are not designed for chewing, but for grabbing and tearing prey
--- they swallow their prey whole
--- they are opportunistic feeders, eating a varied diet of fish squid
crustaceans ,octopus , and worms
--- they are both benthic (bottom) and pelagic (oceanic) feeders (in shallow
water)
--- beluga's sometimes hunt schools of fish cooperatively in small groups
--- an adult beluga will eat about 2.5% to 3% of its body weight per day, or 50
pounds (25 kg) of food a day, or more
Social Groups:
--- beluga whales are very social animals and congregate in pods (social
groups) of 2-25 whales, with an average pod size of 10 whales (consisting
of both males and females or mothers and calves)
--- a pod will hunt and migrate as a group
--- the bond between mothers and calves is the strongest
--- during migrations, several pods may join together, forming groups of
200-10,000 belugas
--- it is estimated that there are about 40,000 to 80,000 beluga whale
world wide
--- St. Lawrence, Cook Inlet, and Alaskan belugas are classified as
endangered
--- other pods are also threatened-- belugas are threatened by pollution
(DDT, PCB's, etc.) in estuary waters that they frequent and breed in