--- title: "Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) | AnimalTracks.wiki" description: "Nicknamed the \"sea canary\" for its squeals and chirps, with an unfused neck and a bulbous forehead that can break through ice for a breath." image: "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/beluga-whale-1.webp" published: "2026-08-31" updated: "2026-09-16" --- # Beluga Whale (*Delphinapterus leucas*) > **Status**: Checked against 3 sources, listed under Sources below. > **Tagline**: Nicknamed the "sea canary" for its squeals and chirps, with an unfused neck and a bulbous forehead that can break through ice for a breath. > **Soundtrack Vibe**: Pastoral Folk & Progressive Bluegrass // Simon & Garfunkel, "The Sound of Silence" > **Soundtrack Links**: [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/2YplrdHMBoRdnHgMeHEwHm) | [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0q7MLPo-u8) > **Vibe Match**: Pure vocal harmonies and timeless acoustic grace for a whale that sailors called the "sea canary": belugas squeal, squeak and chirp, and a round, flexible melon on the forehead focuses and modulates their calls. ## Biological Superpowers & Stats - **Taxonomy**: *Delphinapterus leucas* - **Danger Level**: Low - **Conservation Status**: Least Concern ([IUCN Red List](https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2017-3.rlts.t6335a50352346.en)) - **Superpower**: A flexible melon that focuses and modulates its echolocation clicks, and a bulbous forehead that can break through ice 10 centimetres thick - **Habitat**: Arctic and subarctic seas: usually shallow coastal waters in summer, estuaries and large river deltas seasonally, and in other seasons may be found in deeper water, diving to 1,000 metres - **Diet**: Salmon, eulachon, cod, herring, smelt, and squid - **Tags**: cetacean, ocean, freshwater, carnivore, echolocation ## Natural History & Behavior ## A Forehead Built to Break Ice An adult beluga whale (*Delphinapterus leucas*) is white, with no dorsal fin, no pronounced beak and a round bulge on top of its head. That bulge is the melon, a flexible organ that focuses and modulates the whale's calls, including its echolocation clicks. Belugas use those clicks along with their melon-like forehead to find cracks in the ice, and are commonly seen using that same bulbous forehead to break through ice 10 centimetres thick to make a hole for breathing. A beluga weighs 3,150 pounds (about 1,430 kg) on average and grows up to 16 feet (4.9 m) long. It can live up to 90 years. Scientists can age a beluga by its teeth, which lay down one growth layer a year, like tree rings. The oldest beluga on record had 80 layers, and because teeth wear down, it may have been even older. ## Life on the Ice Edge Belugas live in the Arctic Ocean and its nearby seas, and are common in many parts of Alaska, Russia, Canada and Greenland. In summer they are usually found in shallow coastal waters, and they also move seasonally into estuaries and large river deltas to feed on fish runs. In other seasons they may head for deeper water, diving to 1,000 metres for up to 25 minutes. Their diet is a broad seafood spread: salmon, eulachon, cod, herring, smelt and flatfish, plus octopus, squid, crabs, shrimp, clams, snails and sandworms. Their predators include killer whales and polar bears. ## Winter-Proofed by Design The genus name *Delphinapterus* translates to "dolphin without a fin." Instead of a fin, belugas carry a tough dorsal ridge, which allows them to swim easily under ice floes, sheets of floating ice. A layer of blubber up to 40 percent of their body weight keeps them warm and stores energy, and every summer some populations shed their outer skin in an annual molt, rubbing against coarse gravel in shallow water to help remove the old, yellowed skin. Their neck is unusual too: unlike other whales and dolphins, whose neck vertebrae are fused, a beluga's are not, allowing it to nod and move its head from side to side. > **Menopause at Sea** Belugas are known to go through menopause, along with humans and other whales such as killer whales and narwhals. In northwest Alaska, pregnancy rates showed signs of decline after age 46, yet the oldest female there, aged 70, was carrying a near-term fetus, a calf nearly ready to be born. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Why are beluga whales called canaries of the sea? Sailors nicknamed them "sea canaries" because they squeal, squeak, and chirp. NOAA Fisheries notes belugas produce many different sounds, from whistles and squeals to moos, chirps, and clicks, and rely on their hearing and echolocation to navigate and hunt for prey. *(Source: [NOAA Fisheries]())* ### Can a beluga whale turn its head from side to side? Yes. Unlike other whales and dolphins, a beluga's neck vertebrae are not fused, allowing it to nod and move its head from side to side. *(Source: [NOAA Fisheries]())* ### Why does a beluga have such a bulging forehead? That bulge is the melon. Belugas use their clicks along with that melon-like forehead as a type of echolocation to find cracks in the ice. They are also commonly seen using the same bulbous forehead to break through ice 10 centimetres thick to make a hole for breathing. *(Source: [Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan]())* ### Do beluga whales shed their skin? Yes. Some beluga populations shed their outer skin layer every summer in an annual molt, rubbing against coarse gravel in shallow water to help remove the old, yellowed layer. *(Source: [NOAA Fisheries]())* ## Sources 1. [Beluga Whale. NOAA Fisheries.]() 2. [Delphinapterus leucas (beluga). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.]() 3. [Lowry, Reeves & Laidre (2017). Delphinapterus leucas. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T6335A50352346.]() *Published August 31, 2026. Last updated September 16, 2026.* ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Article", "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/beluga-whale/#article", "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/#website" }, "headline": "Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) | AnimalTracks.wiki", "description": "Nicknamed the \"sea canary\" for its squeals and chirps, with an unfused neck and a bulbous forehead that can break through ice for a breath.", "image": [ "https://animaltracks.wiki/images/animals/beluga-whale-1.webp" ], "datePublished": "2026-08-31", "dateModified": "2026-09-16", "author": [ { "@type": "Organization", "name": "AnimalTracks.wiki Editorial Team", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki" } ], "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/#organization", "name": "AnimalTracks.wiki", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://animaltracks.wiki/icon-512.png" } }, "mainEntityOfPage": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/beluga-whale/", "citation": [ { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Beluga Whale", "url": "https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/beluga-whale", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "NOAA Fisheries" } }, { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Delphinapterus leucas (beluga)", "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Delphinapterus_leucas/", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan" } }, { "@type": "ScholarlyArticle", "name": "Delphinapterus leucas. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T6335A50352346", "url": "https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2017-3.rlts.t6335a50352346.en", "author": "Lowry, Reeves & Laidre", "datePublished": "2017", "isPartOf": { "@type": "Periodical", "name": "The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species" }, "identifier": "doi:10.2305/iucn.uk.2017-3.rlts.t6335a50352346.en" } ], "about": { "@type": "Taxon", "name": "Beluga Whale", "scientificName": "Delphinapterus leucas", "description": "A flexible melon that focuses and modulates its echolocation clicks, and a bulbous forehead that can break through ice 10 centimetres thick" } }, { "@type": "FAQPage", "@id": "https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/beluga-whale/#faq", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why are beluga whales called canaries of the sea?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Sailors nicknamed them \"sea canaries\" because they squeal, squeak, and chirp. NOAA Fisheries notes belugas produce many different sounds, from whistles and squeals to moos, chirps, and clicks, and rely on their hearing and echolocation to navigate and hunt for prey.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Beluga Whale", "url": "https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/beluga-whale", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "NOAA Fisheries" } } } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Can a beluga whale turn its head from side to side?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Unlike other whales and dolphins, a beluga's neck vertebrae are not fused, allowing it to nod and move its head from side to side.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Beluga Whale", "url": "https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/beluga-whale", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "NOAA Fisheries" } } } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why does a beluga have such a bulging forehead?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "That bulge is the melon. Belugas use their clicks along with that melon-like forehead as a type of echolocation to find cracks in the ice. They are also commonly seen using the same bulbous forehead to break through ice 10 centimetres thick to make a hole for breathing.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Delphinapterus leucas (beluga)", "url": "https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Delphinapterus_leucas/", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan" } } } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Do beluga whales shed their skin?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. Some beluga populations shed their outer skin layer every summer in an annual molt, rubbing against coarse gravel in shallow water to help remove the old, yellowed layer.", "citation": { "@type": "CreativeWork", "name": "Beluga Whale", "url": "https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/beluga-whale", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "NOAA Fisheries" } } } } ] }, { "@type": "MusicRecording", "name": "The Sound of Silence", "byArtist": { "@type": "MusicGroup", "name": "Simon & Garfunkel" }, "genre": "Pastoral Folk & Progressive Bluegrass", "url": "https://open.spotify.com/track/2YplrdHMBoRdnHgMeHEwHm" } ] } ```