The Beluga Whale
Jun 22nd 2011
Recently the city of Homer designated 3,016 square miles of Cook Inlet as a marine safe zone, calling it a “critical habitat” for the Beluga whale. This has many pro-industry supporters up in arms but is being widely praised by environmentalists.
Beluga whales are white when fully matured and are a small, toothed mammal. The Beluga has a small beak, stout body and small, black eyes. A distinctive feature of the Beluga is the rounded “melon” on the top of their heads.
The Russian word “beluga” means “white” and besides also being known as the “ white whale” and the “white porpoise” it is also known as the “sea canary”.Check out this link here. This designation has been given to the Beluga because of its various songs and chatter which can even be heard out of water in some situations.
The Beluga can grow up to 15 ft long and weight in excess of 3,300 pounds with the males averaging slightly larger than the females. They are social animals and always carry themselves as part of a “pod” of two to twenty-five others.
The Beluga diet is varied and it feeds on octopi, fish, worms, crustaceans and squid. Though they have 34 teeth these are not for chewing but for tearing and shaking the prey which they then swallow whole.
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