Beluga mammal. Beluga - mammal: description, habitat, reproduction. Origin of the species and description

Delphinapterus leucas Pallas, 1776

Squad: Cetaceans (Cetacea)

Suborder: Toothed whales (Odontoceti)

Family: Narwhals (Monodontidae)

Genus: Beluga whales (DelphinfpterusLaceped.1804)

Other name:

Belukha, Beluga (equivalent, the first is most common)

Where he lives:

The beluga whale population is divided according to its flying areas into 29 local herds, of which about 12 are located in Russia. Distributed circumpolarly, between 50° and 80° N, inhabiting all Arctic, as well as the Bering and Okhotsk seas; In winter, visits to the Baltic Sea are known. In pursuit of fish (salmon at spawning), until the middle of the last century, beluga whales entered large rivers (Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Amur), sometimes going upstream hundreds of kilometers.

Size:

Beluga whales are characterized by sexual dimorphism: males are usually larger than females of the same age. Weight: males reach 850-1500 kg, females 650-1360 kg with a typical body length of 3.6-4.2 m. The largest males reach 6 m in length and 2 tons in weight.

Appearance:

The beluga's head is spherical, "lobed", the lower jaws practically do not protrude forward without a beak. The vertebrae in the neck are not fused together, so the beluga whale, unlike most whales, is able to turn its head. This makes it easier for her to navigate and maneuver in ice. The pectoral fins are small and oval in shape. The dorsal fin is absent - this allows the beluga to move more freely under the ice. From here Latin name genus Delphinapterus leucas - "white dolphin without a dorsal fin."

The skin with a loose layer of epidermis (up to 12 mm thick) resembles an external shock absorber and partly protects beluga whales from damage when swimming among the ice. They are saved from hypothermia by a layer of subcutaneous fat up to 10-12 cm thick, in some places up to 18 cm, which is up to 40% of the beluga whale’s body weight. The skin color is monochromatic. It changes with age: newborns are light brown due to a thick layer of epidermis, which, as the baby grows, falls off in pieces and the lower parts of the dermis rise to the surface with an abundance of dark pigment - melanin. The general coloration becomes dark blue, growth and molting continue and the young become gray, then bluish-gray; individuals older than 4-7 years are pure white.

Behavior and lifestyle:

Some beluga whale populations undergo regular migrations. They are associated with the seasonal movements of schools of fish. Thus, the movement of the beluga whale population from Cook Inlet in Alaska repeats the movement of its main prey - salmon.

In spring, beluga whales begin to move to the shore - to desalinated shallow bays, fjords and the mouths of northern rivers. Flying off the coast is determined by the presence of food and more. high temperature desalinated water. The latter improves the conditions for molting and shedding the old layer of epidermis. Often, in order to remove the dead surface layer of skin, beluga whales rub against the bottom - sand in shallow water. Beluga whales are attached to the same flying areas, visiting them from year to year. Tracking individual individuals has shown that beluga whales remember their birthplace and the route to it after wintering.

Local herds in summer (reproductive aggregations) play a dual role in the biology of the species. Firstly, they ensure population reproduction and isolation from neighboring local herds, and secondly, they play a vital role in terms of all types of individual contacts (sexual, play, etc.) between members of the herd, maintaining hierarchical relationships and promoting education and training young animals. This ensures conservation social structure local herd and the individual and group status of its members.

Not all populations migrate. Their necessity is determined by specific ice conditions and the presence of food accumulations.

IN winter time Beluga whales, as a rule, stick to the edges of ice fields, but sometimes penetrate far into the glaciation zone, where winds and currents support cracks, leads and polynyas. When large areas become icy, they make massive migrations from these areas. The polynyas to which belugas come up to breathe can be several kilometers apart. Beluga whales find them using direction finding and sometimes location. But sometimes they find themselves trapped - in ice captivity, if the distance to clean water exceeds 3-4.5 km. The dorsal part of the body and the upper part of the head consist of thick and durable skin, which allows them to be used to support wormwood, breaking ice up to 4-6 centimeters thick.

Beluga whales are social animals. The beluga whale herd consists of clans, and clans are made up of families organized on the principle of matriarchy. The family consists of primary family groups: mother and 1-2 cubs. Males in the herd and clan play the role of guards and scouts for fish accumulations. At large concentrations of fish, several herds of beluga whales sometimes gather, and the feeding animals gather in herds numbering hundreds and even thousands of animals.

Nutrition:

The basis of the beluga's diet is fish, mainly schooling fish (capelin, cod, cod, herring, navaga, flounder, whitefish and salmon species); V to a lesser extent- crustaceans and cephalopods. Beluga whales do not grab prey, especially benthic organisms, but suck it up. An adult consumes about 15 kg of food per day. But such lucky days rarely fall out.

Reproduction:

In the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, mating in beluga whales occurs in April - May, in the Gulf of Ob - in July, in the Barents and Kara Seas - from May to August, in the Gulf of St. Lawrence - from February to August, and in Hudson Bay, fertilization of females occurs from March to September. Thus, the mating period lasts about 6 months, but the bulk of females are fertilized in a relatively short time - late April - early - mid-July. During the rest of the year, in most cases only individual animals mate.

The childbearing period is extended, as is the mating period, and childbirth can occur starting from early spring throughout summer months. Thus, pregnancy in beluga whales lasts 11.5 months; there is an opinion that this period can reach 13-14 months. As a rule, females give birth at the mouths of rivers that bring warmer waters. The female brings one cub 140-160 cm long, very rarely - two. The lactation period lasts about 12 months. The next mating can occur one to two weeks after birth.

Lifespan:

Life expectancy in nature is 32-40 years (known maximum age females - 44 years old).

Number:the exact number is not known.

According to information International Union Nature Conservation, there are about 150,000 beluga whales in the world. Russian populations, according to the International Whale Commission, number up to 27,000 individuals. At the same time, the 3 largest groups Sea of ​​Okhotsk There are up to 20,000 beluga whales.

Natural enemies:

The enemy of beluga whales is the killer whale.

Threats to the species:

The main danger for these whales is toxic waste that pollutes their habitat, as well as industrial displacement from their Arctic habitats, especially key areas - breeding and feeding areas. IN last years sharply intensified noise pollution- due to the development of shipping and an increase in the flow of wild tourists, which interferes with normal reproduction and leads to a decrease in the number of cubs - i.e. reduction in herd size.

Interesting Facts

IN winter period The beluga whale hunts cod, flounder, goby, pollock, making very deep dives - up to 300-1000 m, and remaining under water for up to 25 minutes. Despite its massive size, the beluga whale is distinguished by its agility; she is able to swim on her back and even backwards. Usually swims at a speed of 3-9 km/h; when frightened, it can make jerks of up to 22 km/h.

For the variety of sounds they made, whalers in the 19th century. The beluga whale was nicknamed “the canary of the sea” ( sea ​​canary), and the Russians developed the expression “beluga roar” - the characteristic roar of a male during the rut.

Researchers counted about 50 sound signals from belugas: whistling, squealing, chirping, squealing, grinding, piercing scream, roar and others. In addition, beluga whales use “body language” (slapping the water with their tail fins) and even facial expressions when communicating.

In addition to screams, beluga whales emit clicks in the ultrasonic range. A system of air sacs in the soft tissues of the head takes part in their production, and the radiation is focused by a special fat pad on the forehead - a melon (acoustic lens). Reflected from surrounding objects, the clicks return to the beluga; The “antenna” is the lower jaw, which transmits vibrations to the middle ear cavity. Echo analysis allows the animal to get an accurate picture of its surroundings. The beluga whale has excellent hearing and echolocation. These animals are capable of hearing in a wide range of frequencies from 40-75 Hz to 30-100 kHz.

The beluga whale also has well-developed vision, both under water and above its surface. The beluga whale's vision is probably colored, because... its retina contains rods and cones - photoreceptor cells. However, studies have not yet confirmed this

Compiled by: Member of the Board of the Marine Mammal Council,

Head Laboratory marine mammals Institute of Oceanology RAS, Doctor of Biological Sciences V.M. Belkovich

The beluga whale is a mammal and belongs to the family of dolphins of the suborder of toothed whales. In other words, this is polar dolphin, since its habitat extends mainly to the seas of the Arctic Ocean. This animal does not disdain the mighty northern rivers that flow into a huge reservoir. The Ob, Yenisei, and Lena are well known to the beluga whale. She swims into the mouths of these rivers tens of kilometers upstream, but in any case prefers the sea, since there is much more more fish, which she mainly feeds on.

Appearance

The beluga whale is a large sea animal. The body length of males is 6 meters, the weight of some individuals reaches 2 tons. On average, a male weighs one and a half tons. Females are slightly smaller. Their length does not exceed 5 meters, and their body weight ranges between one and a half tons. The body color of an adult polar dolphin is white. Hence the name of the mammal. A newborn cub's skin is dark blue, or more precisely slate blue. Over time, it turns pale and acquires a grayish tint, which gradually begins to give off a delicate blue. The blueness fades and disappears completely at the age of 4-5 years. It is replaced by White color, which persists in the animal until the end of its life.

The beluga whale's head is small relative to its body size. It has a characteristic frontal protrusion like all dolphins, but there is no beak typical of these mammals. A remarkable property of the animal is that it is able to rotate its head, turning it up, down and sideways. This is due to the mobility of the cervical vertebrae. She does not have them fused, like other close relatives, but are separated by cartilaginous layers.

The polar dolphin also has well-developed facial muscles. She can change her expression, displaying joy, sadness, complete indifference or contempt. The pectoral fins are wide, but again small relative to the body. The tail is powerful, but there is no dorsal fin. This is apparently due to the specifics of the habitat, since among eternal ice Such a formation on the back can only get in the way.

The beluga whale has a very durable skin with excellent thermal insulation. Its thickness reaches 2 cm. Under the skin there is a thick layer of fat. This layer reaches a thickness of 15 cm and reliably protects internal organs from polar cold. She swims at a speed of 10 km/hour. In case of danger, escaping from killer whales, it can reach speeds of up to 25 km/h. Swims beautifully on its back and even backwards. It can dive to a depth of 300 meters, like all dolphins. Can withstand 15 minutes without air. While swimming, it emerges from the water every 2 minutes to take a breath of air.

Reproduction and lifespan

Beluga whales mate and give birth in coastal areas. At the same time, he selects places with more warm water. These, as a rule, are areas located near river mouths. Here, in the spring-autumn period, offspring are born. The cub is born alone and reaches a length of 1.4-1.6 meters. His weight reaches 70 kg. His mother feeds him with milk for a year and a half. She mates again two weeks after giving birth.

Males seek the attention of ladies by arranging fights among themselves. Pregnancy lasts 14 months. Females reach sexual maturity between 4 and 7 years of age. They generally lose the ability to give birth to cubs at the age of 20. Males mature at 7-9 years. Beluga whales stop growing at the age of 10-11 years. These mammals live 35-40 years. In captivity, a polar dolphin can live up to 45 years.

Behavior and nutrition

The beluga whale prefers to live in a flock. Packs consist of many groups. In some such small formations several females with cubs unite, in others adult males gather together. In spring, these animals tend to the harsh northern shores. Here, in narrow bays near river mouths, they spend the entire warm season. During this period there are a lot of fish in shallow water. The polar dolphin feeds on cod, capelin, and flounder. Loves navaga and cod. Enjoying eating herring and salmon fish, it does not disdain crustaceans and mollusks. It does not grab prey with its mouth, but sucks it in along with the flow of water.

In the spring, these mammals begin a molting period. The top dead layer of beluga whale skin is peeled off using small stones and pebbles. Animals rub their large bodies against them, and the old skin slips into the water in whole rags. It is characteristic that animals spend the summer months throughout their lives always in the same places. That is, after winter migration, they invariably return to where they were once born. They don't have it any other way.

With the onset of severe Arctic cold, beluga whales leave coastal areas and move to the edge of endless ice fields. In the absence of sufficient food, mammals swim into the zone of drifting ice. They can only exist in these areas by periodically sticking their snout out of the ice porridge.

Animals prefer vast polynyas, near which they cluster. Very often there are several such holes in the ice. Sometimes they are located many kilometers apart. If the wormwood is covered with a crust of ice, then the animals break it with their big bodies. It happens that ice floes shift and creep on top of each other due to northern winds and powerful currents. In this case, access to air is blocked, and an entire flock of several hundred animals may die.

Enemies

The beluga has two enemies. These are the polar bear and the killer whale - the most powerful predators: one is land, the other is sea. The bear loves polar dolphins. He likes their thick layer of fat. Clubfoot is looking forward to winter and settles down near extensive thawed patches in the ice. As soon as the polar dolphin pokes its head out to take a breath of air, a powerful clawed paw swoops down on it.

The bear drags the stunned body onto the ice and eats it. Killer whales also love to feast on these animals. They attack them mercilessly in the water. It is almost impossible for the chosen victim to escape from a powerful predator. The killer whale swims twice as fast, and the poor mammal ends its life in its toothy mouth.

The beluga whale, or polar dolphin, is one of the beautiful views toothed whales.

Appearance

Beluga whales change color throughout their lives. Newborn individuals have dark blue skin, by the time of puberty the skin becomes bluish-gray, and in adults it is snow-white without any inclusions or spots.

Beluga whales are enough large mammals. The body length of males can reach 6 meters and weight up to 2 tons. Females are smaller in size. The head of these animals is devoid of a beak, but has a pronounced frontal part. The neck of beluga whales has a unique structure for aquatic mammals. The cervical vertebrae of these animals are not fused with each other, due to which beluga whales can turn their heads.

The fins located on the chest are small and oval. There is no fin on the back, which is why belugas are also called “wingless dolphins.”

The thickness of the skin of beluga whales can reach 15 mm, which protects them from injuries from ice. They are protected from the cold by a subcutaneous layer of fat, which can reach a thickness of 15 cm.

Lifestyle and diet

The lion's share of beluga whales' diet consists of sturgeon fish, such as cod, herring, capelin. Beluga whales do not disdain mollusks and crustaceans. In pursuit of prey, these animals can travel tens of kilometers.

Beluga whales make seasonal migrations. In the warm season, they live off the coast, in small bays and river mouths. The choice of such habitats is determined by the abundance of food in summer time year, water temperature and the presence of pebbles in shallow water, against which beluga whales rub in order to remove “dead” skin. Beluga whales remember their flying locations and come to the same place every year.

In winter, beluga whales stay close to the ice edge. But sometimes they can swim into places of deep glaciation. Beluga whales are not afraid of ice, as they can break through ice cover several centimeters thick. There are also tragic cases when ice holes are covered with a very thick layer of ice and beluga whales cannot escape from this captivity.

The enemy of beluga whales on the shore is the polar bear, and in the water killer whales pose a danger.

Beluga whales prefer to travel in groups. Females with cubs and males always live separately, uniting only while hunting for large schools of fish. In such cases, the group may number hundreds of individuals.

Beluga whales constantly communicate with each other, making various sounds. Scientists have identified about 50 sound signals.

Like dolphins, beluga whales can make sounds ultrasonic signals, which form in the air sacs of the tissues of the head and are focused in the fat pad located on the forehead and called the acoustic lens. These signals are reflected from various objects and are captured lower jaw and then transmitted to the middle ear. These signals allow belugas to receive information about their environment.

Reproduction

Mating of individuals and the birth of young occur near the coasts. The mating season occurs in spring and summer. Fights for the female often occur among males. The gestation period is 14 months. More often, one cub is born, the body length of which does not exceed 160 cm. Feeding of the offspring can occur from one to 2 years.

Females are able to bear offspring from 4-7 years of age, and males reach maturity by 7-9 years. The lifespan of beluga whales is 40 years.

Spreading

Beluga whales can be found in the northern seas, such as the Sea of ​​Okhotsk, the White Sea, and the Berengov Sea.

Population protection

Beluga whales are listed in the Red Book with the status "vulnerable". The main threat is not the hunting of beluga whales, but the pollution of their habitats with waste and the industrial development of the Arctic shelf.

Quite a peaceful and interesting animal. They live in the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean, the Bering Sea, the Baltic Sea and the Sea of ​​Okhotsk.

Chasing schools of fish, they swim to the mouth of the rivers - Amur, Yenisei, Ob. They migrate, traveling long distances to shores and shallow bays in the spring. There is an abundance of food here at this time. In autumn they return to their usual habitats.

The body length can reach 6 meters, and the weight reaches 2 tons. Females are smaller than males in size and weight.

The head is small, but unlike many of its representatives of the cetacean order, it can turn it to the sides, thanks to the cervical vertebrae, which are not fused together.

Oval pectoral fins small, dorsal and is completely absent. The muzzle is cute, looking at it you might think that this giant is always in a good mood.

The skin is dense, pure white, which is why it attracts attention to itself even more and has a positive attitude. The teeth are 5 cm long, sharp, located in tens on the upper and lower jaws.

They feed mainly on fish - herring, capelin, navaga, cod and the like. All these fish swim in large schools, which is beneficial for the beluga whale. It sucks water into itself, thereby drawing in a certain number of fish. And the big beauty eats about 15 kg a day.

Whales often drive a school of fish into shallow water, hunting in a group, because it’s easier to catch fish and get enough faster. It feeds its body with crustaceans and cephalopods.

These are friendly and sociable animals. They can make a lot of sounds, thereby transmitting information to each other, practically singing. She whistles, chirps, roars and screams, and can even squeal, grind and click.

They also express emotions through body movements. Smart, beautiful. Excellent virtuoso swimmers, they can swim on their backs and even backwards. Their usual speed of movement is 4 -8 km/h. If you need to escape, for example, from a killer whale, then you can turn on the acceleration up to 20 km/h.

They live in small groups that form herds. Several females, usually 3, with cubs are one group, and the second are males, there can be up to 13 individuals. In winter, they try to stay near the edges of the ice, because they need air.

A beluga whale can survive under water for no more than 15 minutes. If the holes are covered with ice, then the body blows through the armor. It also happens that the layer of ice is too thick and it is impossible to break through it. We must either look for another place, or the animals will die.

T a thick subcutaneous layer of fat helps them not to freeze. A cunning polar bear often watches near the holes of beluga whales, stuns the animal with a blow from his paw and takes out a trophy. To the enemies of beluga whales, in addition to polar bear also includes killer whale.

The mating and breeding season for belugas lasts from spring to autumn. They migrate to shallow waters. Males compete for females, who bear offspring first. Two weeks after the birth of the cub, she can give consent to courtship. In addition to calling calls, beluga whales rub their noses and sides against each other as a sign of affection.

Pregnancy lasts a long time - 14 months. One, or less often two, babies are born. The length of the newborn is 1.5 meters, its skin is dark blue. Having taken his first breath with the help of his mother or aunts, the little one is nourished with milk. The whole group welcomes him and rejoices at the birth of the cub.

He will feed on mother's milk until he is 2 years old. At the same time in summer, animals molt. They slide their bodies over small stones to facilitate and speed up the skin renewal process. Beluga whales take 11 years to grow. In one year the color of the cub will change from blue to light blue. And it will become pure white only after 5 years.

The beluga whale (lat. Delphinapterus leucas) is a large cetacean mammal from the Narwhal family (Monodontidae) of the suborder of Toothed whales (Odontoceti). During evolution, her body almost completely lost the ability to mature age produce melanins, which are natural pigments. In adult animals, the skin is white, and only in old and young animals it has a dark, gray or brown tint.

Unlike other species of whales and dolphins, the beluga whale lacks a dorsal fin, instead having only a vestigial edge. A thick ball of subcutaneous fat on the forehead plays important role in echolocation, which provides the predator with the ability to orient itself in space and detect potential prey at long distances.

Spreading

Beluga whales are found only in the Northern Hemisphere. They are common in Northern Arctic Ocean, in the northwestern and northeastern regions of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Animals try to stay close to the shore and are found off the coasts of Canada, Alaska, Greenland, Scandinavia and Russia. They love bays, fiords and deltas big rivers.

In winter they usually migrate to Arctic waters, and spend the summer in temperate latitudes, where they gather in shallow water and have offspring. Occasionally they are spotted off the coast of Iceland, Great Britain and even in the Baltic Sea.

These mammals are adapted to exist in both marine and mixed waters. On May 18, 1966, near the German city of Duisburg in the Rhine, a male was discovered swimming against the current, which received the name Mob Dick. The citizen who reported the whale to the police was subjected to a blood alcohol test, and only after receiving negative result brave policemen rushed to check such incredible information.

Mob Dick created a real sensation. His journey through Germany aroused great interest. The unusual traveler was tirelessly followed by the press, television and entire crowds of onlookers. After visiting Bonn, he headed to Holland. Last time he was seen on June 16 at the port of Hoek van Holland in Rotterdam. At 18:42 he appeared to the jubilant public and disappeared into the vastness of the North Sea.

Beluga whales often swim alone or in small groups on the European continent into the waters of the Loire and Elbe, and in Asia into the mouths of Siberian rivers.

Behavior

Representatives of this species are very sociable creatures and live in groups of up to 15 individuals, and sometimes gather in herds of several hundred. In 1974, a pilgrimage of over 5,000 mammals was observed in the Mackenzie Delta.

In addition to sea bays and the mouths of large rivers, beluga whales often visit drifting ice floes and pack ice. They go out to the open sea only during their migrations.

Non-permanent groups consist of males and females along with their young, are led by a dominant male and are intended primarily for cooperative hunting. Possessing a playful disposition, beluga whales chase each other and arrange comic fights, accompanied by loud cries of pleasure.

They retain the same behavior in captivity. They show obvious interest in the person. In ocean aquariums they like to swim up to the glass and look at visitors with curiosity. In natural conditions, they circle around ships and boats, happily playing with any objects that fall into the sea.

Compared to other toothed whales, belugas swim relatively slowly. They generally move at a speed of 3-9 km/h and are only capable of accelerating to 22 km/h over short distances.

A sprint swim rarely lasts longer than 10-15 minutes. They spend about 5-10% of the time on the surface of the water, the depth of the dive is on average about 20 m, and its duration is 3-5 minutes. Nevertheless, there have been documented cases of beluga whales diving to a depth of more than 700 m. The record is a dive to 872 m lasting 19 minutes.

Sense organs

Beluga whales produce and hear sounds from 1.2 kHz to 120 kHz, most often used to transmit information in the range of 10-75 kHz. Most sounds are perceived by the lower jaw and transmitted to the middle ear.

The wide mandible has a cavity at the base where it joins the skull. Inside this small cavity there is a fatty deposit directed towards the middle ear and small openings for the ears located a few centimeters behind the eyes. Each hole communicates with the external auditory canal and the eardrum.

Beluga whales can see both aquatic environment, and beyond. In general, their vision is weaker than that of dolphins. Their eyes are adapted for viewing objects under water, but upon contact with air, changes occur in the crystal and cornea to correct myopia (myopia).

The structure of the retina indicates that animals distinguish shadows, colors and see in the dark, but no official documentation of this fact has yet been received.

Glands in the medial corner of the orbit of the orbit secrete a gelatinous and oily secretion that lubricates the eye and removes foreign bodies, and also forms a film to protect the cornea and conjunctiva from pathogenic microflora. Animals' mouths have sensory areas that function as chemoreceptors and can detect the presence of even minute amounts of blood in an aquatic environment.

Nutrition

The diet consists mainly of various species of fish that live in a particular region. Predators are particularly fond of Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), capelin (Mallotus villosus), smelt (Osmerus) and flounder (Pleuronectidae). The fish menu is actively supplemented with seafood, which can be obtained at the bottom. These include squid, crayfish, crabs, bivalves, octopuses, snails and worms.

Beluga whales eat 18-27 kg of food daily, which is about 2.5-3% of their own weight. They find food mainly at a depth of 20-40 m. The flexible neck allows for a wide range of movements while searching for food on the ocean floor.

To extract prey from the bottom mud, animals suck in water and then forcefully push it out of their mouths in thin streams. Predators hunt schools of fish in groups of 5 or more individuals, coordinating their actions through sound signals.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity in females occurs at the age of 4-7 years, and in males at 8-9 years. The reproductive period lasts 20-25 years. Mating occurs in March or April. Males pursue young ladies ready to breed and make loud cries about the seriousness of their intentions.

The choice of partner always belongs to the female. Pregnancy lasts about 420 days. Births occur in the southern borders of the range in the summer at more warm waters, where it warms up to 10°-15°C. The baby is born weighing 50-80 kg and about 1.5 m long. Its body is colored gray or dark gray. The offspring is born tail first and immediately begins to swim near its mother.

The mother begins to feed her baby 2-3 hours after birth. Milk is very nutritious and contains 28% fat and 11% protein. Its calorie content exceeds 280 calories per 100 grams.

The baby whale is completely dependent on its mother's milk until it is one year old, when it has teeth and can switch to solid food. At first, the baby feeds on small fish and shrimp, and then moves on to larger prey.

Milk feeding lasts 18-24 months. In captivity, females sometimes feed other people's children. Do they do this in wildlife unknown for certain. The main natural enemy of belugas is. In polar regions, they often become victims when they are about to breathe in ice holes. Sharks are waiting for them in the southern waters, attacking primarily the young generation.

Description

The body length of adult individuals is 300-550 cm, and the weight is 500-1400 kg. Females are much smaller and lighter than males. The grayish skin becomes completely white by the age of 16-17, and darkens again in older animals.

The head is very mobile, it can rotate in a horizontal and vertical plane. There is a large growth on the forehead that resembles a melon or a ball. The oval pectoral fins are relatively small, the caudal fin is slightly forked.

The mouth has 40 teeth. The thickness of the subcutaneous fat reaches 10-15 cm. In young animals, the thickness of the skin is 25 mm and increases as they grow older.

The lifespan of beluga whales in natural conditions is 50-60 years; in captivity it rarely exceeds 35 years.