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Beluga, or white whale - DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS
Endangered
Class: Animals with Milk Glands (Mammalia)
The Name "Whale": "Whale" comes from an old English word, derived from an even more ancient word, all of them simply referring to the animal. Both this whale and the narwhal belong to the family "Monodontidae," "one toothed," which is much more obvious in the narwhal.
Location: Arctic coasts of Europe, Asia, and North America.
Habitat: Aquatic. Coastal waters, estuaries, and some larger rivers.
Description: The Beluga's body is creamy white in adults and a darker bluish gray in the young. There are 8 to 10 teeth on each side of each jaw, each tooth about 2/3 inch in diameter. There is a low ridge on the back, but no dorsal fin, and the lateral fins are rounded. The cranium is asymmetrical with the blowhole is situated to the left. Total length of the Beluga is up to 18 ft, with a weight of 3500 lbs, females somewhat smaller.
Behavior: This whale moves about in pods of up to 200 individuals. It swims slowly and barely exposes its body to the air when it comes to the surface to breathe. It feeds on bottom fish and molluscs. It migrates regularly from north to south in the fall and returns in the spring. It will often swim up the larger rivers in its area, such as the Yukon and the St. Lawrence in Canada, and has even been sighted in the Rhine River in Germany.
Reproduction: The gestation period lasts for a year after which one young is born in the months of April to June.
Note: Today the total world population is estimated at more than 40,000 individuals.
Go to the Cetacea Page to learn more about the other whale-like animals.
Go to the Index to compare the various Whales found in America Zoo.
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