#delphinapterus leucas

[snototter]

The eye (and ear opening) of a Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas)

by Eric Heupel

[inatungulates]

Beluga Delphinapterus leucas

Observed by grahamsorenson, CC BY-NC

[namu-the-orca]

Arctic Odontocetes

And here's the three other Icelandic whales poster illustrations. All true Arctic species, roaming the frigid water of the high north. While Atlantic white-sided dolphins can occasionally be spotted along European shores, Narwhal and Belugas roam the true ice seas.

Narwhals are famous for their rather striking dentition: the huge, up to 3 meter long tusk, is hard to miss. It's actually their left canine tooth - every once in a while the right canine erupts too, making for a double-tusker. It's usually only males who are so adorned, as only a very small number of females (15%) bear tusks.

The exact function of the tusk is still debated: originally thought to be a simple weapon, now it is mostly thought to serve as a secondary sexual characteristic, inducing status in the bearer. The bigger the tooth, the sexier the man. However, researchers suspect they may have many more functions. Through the tusk run thousands of nerves which enable Narwhals to sense differences in water temperature and salinity. On top of that tusks have been observed to aid hunting and social interactions between males, and perhaps more. And the occasional Narwhal has been found with a broken tusk embedded in their cheek. So perhaps some good ole fashioned fighting happens after all, though no one has ever observed it happening.

The tuskless females survive just fine without them though and often live to be even older than males (up to 115 years!), so the advantages can't be that critical. Nevertheless it's fascinating to think about. Somewhere out there in the ice cold seas where we would freeze to death in an instant, swim whales - fellow mammals - sensing the waters with their 3 meter long canine tooth, occasionally slapping a fish unconscious. A wholly alien experience lived by an animal not so essentially different from us.

Atlantic white-sided dolphins may be far less mysterious, but nevertheless amongst my favourite delphinids. They've such beautiful markings. And the beluga... no doubt well known too as living marshmallows. I must say that youtube videos of their melons and fatty flabs being wobbled is great watching material.

Also - the "Whales of Iceland" poster is officially up for sale! You can nab one at Pappyr's website here. Not sponsored or anything, I just think the poster turned out super neat.

[keyonsketches]

"Beluga whales" by Keyon aka Kirsten Dennis gouache on mixed media paper, 11x14"

[belugafans]

(Posted by Manager Day하루 || Check them out at @orchid-oscar-day!) (Dividers by @cafekitsune)

Source(s) 🐋 Photo by © Andrey Nekrasov / WWF-Canon 🐋 GIF by @a-certain-elf

[oh-dear-so-queer]

In addition, hermaphrodite individuals occasionally occur in Belugas and possibly also in Sperm Whales. One Beluga, for example, had male external genitalia combined with a complete set of both male and female internal reproductive organs (i.e., two ovaries and two testes).

"Biological Exuberance: Animal Homosexuality and Natural Diversity" - Bruce Bagemihl

[sweetsuenos]

Cetaceans, specifically toothed whales, typically cannot understand each other since they have their own unique languages, even whales from different groups of the same species in close proximity might not understand each other! Sperm whales for example have been observed greeting other sperm whales like "Hello, I am from [x area]" and if the other whale says they're from a different area (and thus clan), they part ways without interacting again. So it's highly unlikely that narwhals and belugas can understand each other, being from different species with their own unique languages. Despite that, they still recognize the other as a whale and are able to produce hybrids, as they are part of the same family, monodontidae. Some whale researchers think this young narwhal might go on to have calves with female beluga whales!

How it started vs. How it's going

At first the narwhal swims on the outside of the group, trying to keep up with his new friends in unfamiliar waters.

When the same group of whales is spotted a year later, the narwhal swims in the middle of the group of belugas, now officially a permanent member of their pod!

From: Secrets of the Whales (2021) Episode 3: Beluga Kingdom

[bethanythebogwitch]

Wet Beast Wednesday: beluga

Welcome back to Wet Beast Wednesday and cine it's been unbearably hot here I'm going north to discuss the magnificent beluga. The whale, not the sturgeon. I know a few of you will be disappointed by that, but I'll get to sturgeons eventually. The beluga is one of the most popular cetaceans and it is threatened. Let's learn why this white whale has more to fear from Captain Ahab than the other way around.

(Image: a beluga whale seen from the side. It is an animal reminiscent of a dolphin that is white all over. It lacks a dorsal fin and its head is bulbous with a short snout. End ID)

Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) are one of two whales in the family Monodontide, the other being the narwhal (which has its own WBW you can read if you can tolerate by complete inability to write useful image descriptions back then). Belugas are small for whales, reaching 5.5 meters (18 ft) and 1,600 kg (3,530 ft), with males being about 25% larger than females. The name beluga comes from the Russian word for "white" and is fitting because belugas are, uniquely among cetaceans, bright white all over. Belugas have short snouts and enlarged melons, giving their heads a distinctive lumpy shape. The melon is an organ containing fat and wax that helps with echolocation by focusing and amplifying sound produced and received by the whale. Uniquely amongst whales, the beluga can alter the shape of its melon at will. This likely assist echolocation by altering factors such as the direction, frequency, and size of the echolocatory clicks. Another unusual feature of belugas is their lack of a dorsal fin. Instead, they have a short ridge running down the back that serves the same function, which is aiding in turning and keeping the animal from rolling over. Belugas and narwhals are also the only whales with unfused neck vertebrae, meaning they can turn their heads side to side. The lack of dorsal fin and mobile neck helps belugas navigate under sea ice without getting stuck.

(Image: a shot of a beluga's head emerging from the water. Its skin is slightly wrinkled and has a yellowish tint, indicating it will molt soon. End ID)

Belugas are carnivores who hunt fish, squid, and other invertebrates. Belugas are slower than most toothed whales and their teeth are tiny, eliminating the possibility of chasing down prey or ripping apart large prey. Instead, they hunt via suction. By suddenly opening their mouths, belugas create a vacuum that water and food is sucked into. Belugas swallow their food whole. Belugas have also been observed hunting prey on the seafloor by spitting water to blow away sediment covering buried animals. Belugas are social animals that hunt in groups. They will cooperate to herd prey into kill zones or have a few belugas break off of the pod to chase prey toward the rest. While hunting, belugas will dive in search of food. The typical dive reaches around 20 meters (66 ft) for 3-5 minutes, but can dive up to 900 m (2,953 ft) deep and last up to 20 minutes. Often the whales make a sequence of 5-6 shallow dives followed by a deeper one. During dives, the heart rate drops from 100 beats per minute to 12-20 and blood is redirected to the brain, heart, and lungs to conserve oxygen. Furthermore, oxygen can also be stored in the muscle and the red blood cells carry more oxygen then those in land mammals.

(Image: a beluga foraging for food near the seafloor. It is rotates so its belly faces the camera. Its head is down, looking toward the camera. Three other belugas are visible in the background. End ID)

Belugas are social animals who live in pods that typically reach a maximum of 25 members. Unlike some cetaceans, pod membership is not family based or fixed. Members will leave their pods to join others at will. Belugas are highly playful and when they are not hunting, they tend to play with each other. Games observed in the wild include chasing, play-fighting, rubbing against each other, synchronized diving, and playing with and carrying objects. Belugas in captivity show more complex play behavior including blowing bubbles for others to pop, something similar to Simon says, and following and startling human observers. Physical contact seems to be important to belugas as they will rub against each other and make mouth-to-mouth contact as an apparent sign of affection. Belugas both in the wild and captivity are curious and will approach humans. Belugas in aquariums will examine humans through the glass while those in the wild will approach boats and even interact with humans in small vessels. Belugas have also been known to follow bowhead whales, likely because the larger whales are better at punching breathing holes in ice. They have also been observed joining narwhal pods. Belugas are some of the most vocal cetacean species and have a very wide range of vocalizations with 11 distinct types of sounds. Belugas use these noises to communicate and do so frequently. Captive specimens vocalize to each other almost non-stop. Like with some other cetaceans, beluga vocalizations show region-based distinctions that may be akin to regional dialects or different languages. Belugas are sometimes called canary whales due to their high-pitched noises.

(Image: a pod of 6 belugas seen from above. One has exhaled, leaving a trail of bubbles. A single male narwhal has joined this pod and is swimming with them. The narwhal has a similar body shape but is skinnier and a mottle gray and white color. A long, straight, tusk extends from the front of its head. End ID)

(video: an employee at Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, Connecticut, USA instructing a Beluga to demonstrate a variety of vocalizations. End ID)

Belugas live in Arctic and sub-Arctic marine waters. Different populations of belugas have been identified based on their home region. Belugas migrate seasonally. During summer, they spend their time along coasts and in estuaries. In winter, when the ice sheets expand and cover their summer habitat, belugas move to the open ocean, hunting alongside or underneath the ice. Some populations who live in coastal ares that do not frees do not migrate. Migration patterns are passed from parent to child. During summer, belugas will come together in massive pods that can number hundred to thousands. All the belugas in a given population group will typically travel to the same summer water. Belugas may reduce or eliminate their food intake during migration. While primarily marine, belugas often summer in estuarine bays and will even swim up river. Belugas have been found up to 1,700 km (1,056 mi) upriver. They may chase migrating fish upriver and mothers with calves likely use rivers as a safe place away from predators. Exposure to fresh water also seems to help with the yearly process of shedding their skin and growing a new layer, something that must be done in warmer water. Belugas may rub themselves against gravel at the bottom of rivers to help loosen their shed skin.

(Image: two narwhals with their head sticking out of the water. They are nuzzling their faces together. End ID)

Most belugas mate between February and May, though they have been observed mating at other times of the year. Gestation is estimated to last between 12 and 14 months. Belugas usually give birth in the warmer waters of their summer habitats. It is possible that belugas can delay fertilization, storing sperm internally to fertilize at a later time. This could help females ensure they give birth at the correct time. During mating season, male beluga's testicles double in size. They prefer to mate in the early morning, between 3 and 4 AM local time. Calves are born around 1.5 m (4.9 ft) and 80 kg (180 lbs). Beluga calves are grey and will have lightened to their adult coloration by age 4. Calves are dependent on their mother's milk for their first year, at which point the teeth grow in. After this point, they will begin supplementing their diet with small fish and shrimp. Most calves wean after 20 months, but there have been cases of calves continuing to nurse for over 2 years. Females will not mate again until their current calf has weaned or died. The average reproduction rate is one calf every 3 years. Belugas in captivity have been seen taking care of the calves of other females. There have also been cases observed in captivity of a pregnant female or female who has lost a calf stealing the calf of another female. It is not known if this behavior happens in the wild, but it is seen in other species of mammal. Males reach sexual maturity at ages 7 - 9 and females at ages 4 - 7. Females seem to undergo menopause around age 40. The maximum lifespan of belugas in the wild is unknown, though some estimates put their lifespan at 70-80 years. Genetic testing has revealed the existence of beluga/narwhal hybrids.

(Image: a juvenile beluga born in the Shedd Aquarium, Chicago, Illinois, USA. It resembles an adult, but is smaller and gray. It is sticking its head out of the water by the ends of its tank. An adult beluga, presumably the mother, is doing the same thing in the background. End ID)

Belugas are classified as least concern by the IUCN, meaning they are not at risk of extinction. The species was commercially hunted heavily in the past for blubber, meat, and skin. beluga skin is the only cetacean skin that can be cured into leather and was used to make some of the first bulletproof vests. Fishermen also killed belugas as they considered them to be a threat to the fish population. Once the end of international whaling, beluga numbers have recovered. In modern times, belugas have national and international legal protections, though indigenous communities in Russia, Greenland, Canada, and Alaska have special permissions to hunt them in keeping with historic practices. These hunted belugas are used for food and their bones and teeth are carved. Belugas are considered a good sentinel species, a species that can be used as an indicator of environmental health. Belugas can sequester pollutants in their cells for long periods of time and are susceptible to pollution. As belugas are near the top of the food chain, toxic chemicals can bio-accumulate up the trophic levels to be sequestered in them. This means that deceased or captured belugas can be examined to get an idea of what pollutants are in their habitat. Belugas are also negatively affected by the noise of boats, which can interfere with their echolocation, drive them from their habitats, and causes considerable stress. Climate change also poses a threat to the species as it alters their environment. Natural predators of the beluga include orcas and polar bears.

(Image: a black-and-white photograph of Alaskan Inuit carving of animals on a piece of beluga bone. End ID. Source: Canadian Museum of Natural History)

Belugas were among the first cetaceans to be kept in captivity and are still some of the most popular cetaceans found in aquariums, zoos, and other establishments. They are considered good aquarium animals due to their docile temperaments and charismatic personalities. Belugas can be easily trained to perform tricks and submit to medical examination. Ethical concerns over the treatment of captive cetaceans has been raised and a growing number of locations are banning or regulating cetaceans in captivity. Most captive belugas were captured form the wild. Captive breeding programs have been mostly unsuccessful. Belugas raised in captivity rarely thrive when released into the wild, with individuals who were not fed by humans showing the greatest success when released. One captive beluga was reported to be able to mimic human speech. From the 1970s to the 90s, the US navy studied beluga echolocation and trained belugas to seek out submerged objects while wearing or carrying cameras. During the cold war, the Soviet navy trained belugas to assist in removing naval mines. In 2019, a tame beluga named Hvaldimir was found in Norway wearing a Russian harness for mounting equipment, leading to speculations that Russia is still training belugas for military purposes.

(Image: two people in wetsuits identifying them as employees of Shedd Aquarium. They have a bowl of fish and are instructing a beluga to open its mouth. End ID)

[local-hellhound-steals-spaghetti]

New beluga melon lore just dropped!!!!!

I'm so excited about the implications of this! One of the first ever recorded cases of cetaceans using facial expressions in social interactions!

And something that would have been pretty much impossible to study in wild populations!

Look at that funky melon action!!!!

[cypherdecypher]

Animal of the Day!

Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas)

(Photo from Orlando News)

Conservation Status- Least Concern

Habitat- Arctic Ocean; Northern Pacific Ocean; Northern Atlantic Ocean

Size (Weight/Length)- 1360 kg; 5 m

Diet- Squid; Crustaceans; Octopus; Fish

Cool Facts- The sea canary that is the beluga whale will always put a smile on my face. With thick blubber to help survive freezing temperatures, the beluga’s most iconic feature is their melon head. Within their melon is an echolocation organ. By producing sounds that are more similar to a bird than a whale, beluga whales can find anything from schools of fish to breathing holes in meter thick ice. Belugas live in groups ranging anywhere from ten individuals to hundreds, including other species of whale and porpoise that are adopted into the pod. Constant play is a must. Belugas play catch with each other using wood and will pop bubbles that other belugas blow.

Rating- 13/10 (Not a whale, not a porpoise, more closely related to narwhals.)

Requested by @inewt

[fishgirl514]

BIG FUCKING FISH 2 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

beluga whale - delphinapterus leucas

[violetsandshrikes]

After sharing the bird play vs tool use paper, a lot of people expressed interest in animal behaviour + play - I love cognition with a focus on play behaviour, which I feel is an aspect that is seriously undervalued by a lot of people.

Here's a misc list of some animal behaviour papers I enjoy with focus on play! (They should all theoretically be open access and available)

• Animal Play and Welfare by Suzanne D. E. Held & Marek Spinka

• Play Behavior in Crocodilians by Vladimir Dinets

• What is play fighting and what is it good for? by Sergio M. Pellis & Vivien C. Pellis

• Problem of reptile play: Environmental enrichment and play behavior in a captive Nile soft-shelled turtle, Trionyx triunguis by Gordon M. Burghardt, Brian Ward & Roger Rosscoe

• An Exploration of Play Behaviors in Raven Nestlings by Mathias Osvath, Helena Osvath, and Rasmus Bååth

• Play behavior in ectothermic vertebrates by Vladimir Dinets

• Adults Play but Not Like Their Young: The Frequency and Types of Play by Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) in Human Care by Heather Hill & Domonique Ramirez

• On the Proximate Links Between Object Play and Tool Use in the Context of Stone Handling Behavior in Balinese Long-tailed Macaques by Camilla Cenni (Masters Thesis)

[inatungulates]

Beluga Delphinapterus leucas

Observed by bobmcd, CC BY-NC

[hornyitaliankitty]

Do you enjoy getting facefucked, and do you swallow or spit?

The beluga whale (/bɪˈluːɡə/;[4] Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. It is also known as the white whale, as it is the only cetacean to regularly occur with this colour; the sea canary, due to its high-pitched calls; and the melonhead, though that more commonly refers to the melon-headed whale, which is an oceanic dolphin.

[belugafans]

Welcome to the club friends!

This blog is dedicated to spreading facts and cool information about Delphinapterus leucases!! (Also known as Beluga Whales)

We will try our best to keep a constant schedule of content but no promises! (We only have one manager afterall)

Daily: We will do our best to post a fact about Belugas everyday! #Daily Beluga Fact Weekly (Saturday EST): A Star Guest Whale Biography! #Beluga of the Week

SUBJECT TO CHANGE AT ANY TIME

Some great resources to look up!

Georgia Aquarium

Shedd Aquarium

NOAA Fisheries

WWF

WWF Arctic

National Geographic

And for your kids, NG Kids is a perfect source for those under the age of 13 to explore!

(Posted by Manager Day하루 || Check them out at @orchid-oscar-day!) (Dividers by @cafekitsune)

[dougdimmadodo]

Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas)

Family: Narwhal Family (Monodontidae)

IUCN Conservation Status: Least Concern

Easily distinguished from other whales due to its relatively small size, white colouration, round, blubbery head and lack of a dorsal fin (an adaptation that aids it when travelling under sea ice), the Beluga Whale is a species of whale native to Arctic and Sub-Arctic ocean regions. Also known as the Melonhead, Sea Canary, White Whale or simply Beluga, members of this species are found mainly in coastal waters surrounding Arctic regions of Asia, Europe and North America (although they have been known to spend prolonged periods of time in the open ocean), where they live in highly changeable pods of 2-25 individuals, with members joining and leaving the pod on a regular basis. Although they possess teeth Beluga Whales cannot chew, and so while their diet varies highly based on their location and the seasonal changes in the populations of prey they can only typically feed on animals that they can swallow whole through suction, such as worms, shrimps, crabs, bivalves, octopuses, squids and fish such as flatfishes, salmons, herrings and cod. Beluga Whales are capable of swimming beneath expanses of sea ice while using echolocation to find holes through which to surface for air, but when the sea ice spreads further and these holes become scarcer during the winter many populations migrate to the southern extremes of their range to spend the winter in relatively warm, ice-free bays and estuaries (as they do not typically stay with one pod for prolonged periods of time, it is believed that each individual Beluga Whale learns where to migrate to from their mother.) Beluga Whales breed largely in the spring and produce a single calf roughly every three years, with calves typically becoming independent at the end of this three year period. Oddly, newborn Beluga Whales are black or dark grey, and gradually transition to the white colouration of adults as they mature: it is thought that the dark colouration of a Beluga Whale calf helps it to blend in with murky water and avoid predators such as Orcas, but that as they grow larger this camouflage becomes less effective and as such they develop white colouration to allow them to camouflage against sea ice.

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Animal Advent Calendar - Day 16

Image Source: https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41461-Delphinapterus-leucas