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title: "What the sources say about the Beluga Whale | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "44 claims from the Beluga Whale profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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# What the sources say about the Beluga Whale (*Delphinapterus leucas*)

> 44 claims from the Beluga Whale profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Beluga Whale](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/beluga-whale/)

## Beluga Whale. NOAA Fisheries.

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/beluga-whale

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Nicknamed the "sea canary" for its squeals and chirps | They squeal, squeak, and chirp, which is why sailors long ago called them “sea canaries.” |
| an unfused neck | their neck vertebrae are not fused, allowing belugas to nod and move their heads from side to side |
| Arctic and subarctic seas | They swim among ice floes in arctic and subarctic waters |
| usually shallow coastal waters in summer, estuaries and large river deltas seasonally | Belugas are usually found in shallow coastal waters during the summer months. ... Belugas also seasonally inhabit estuaries and large river deltas to feed on fish runs |
| in other seasons may be found in deeper water, diving to 1,000 metres | During other seasons, they may be found in deeper waters, diving to 1,000-meter depths for up to 25 minutes. |
| Salmon, eulachon, cod, herring, smelt, and squid | Beluga whales have a varied diet consisting of a variety of fish, including salmon, eulachon, cod, herring, smelt, and flatfish as well as invertebrates such as octopus, squid, crabs, shrimp, clams, snails, and sandworms. |
| A flexible melon that focuses and modulates its echolocation clicks | a round, flexible “melon” that focuses and modulates their vocalizations, including echolocation “clicks.” |
| (Delphinapterus leucas) is white | Their skin lightens as they age, becoming white as they reach maturity. |
| no dorsal fin | Instead of a dorsal fin, belugas have a tough dorsal ridge |
| no pronounced beak and a round bulge on top of its head | They lack a pronounced rostrum, or beak, and the top of their head is characterized by a round, flexible “melon” |
| That bulge is the melon, a flexible organ that focuses and modulates the whale's calls, including its echolocation clicks | the top of their head is characterized by a round, flexible “melon” that focuses and modulates their vocalizations, including echolocation “clicks.” |
| A beluga weighs 3,150 pounds (about 1,430 kg) on average | Weight Average 3,150 pounds (note: 1,430 kg converted from 3,150 lb (1,428.8 kg)) |
| grows up to 16 feet (4.9 m) long | Length Up to 16 feet (note: 4.9 m converted from 16 ft (4.88 m)) |
| It can live up to 90 years | Lifespan Up to 90 years |
| Scientists can age a beluga by its teeth, which lay down one growth layer a year, like tree rings | Similar to tree rings that can be used to age a tree, beluga teeth develop a “growth layer group” (GLG) annually. |
| The oldest beluga on record had 80 layers, and because teeth wear down, it may have been even older | The oldest recorded beluga on record had 80 GLGs, though this age might be an underestimate of its actual age due to tooth wear. (note: "because teeth wear down" paraphrases "due to tooth wear") |
| Belugas live in the Arctic Ocean and its nearby seas, and are common in many parts of Alaska, Russia, Canada and Greenland | Beluga whales live in the Arctic Ocean and its nearby seas in the Northern Hemisphere. They are common to many regions of Alaska, as well as 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 | Belugas are usually found in shallow coastal waters during the summer months. ... Belugas also seasonally inhabit 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 | During other seasons, they may be found in deeper waters, diving to 1,000-meter depths 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 | Beluga whales have a varied diet consisting of a variety of fish, including salmon, eulachon, cod, herring, smelt, and flatfish as well as invertebrates such as octopus, squid, crabs, shrimp, clams, snails, and sandworms. |
| Their predators include killer whales and polar bears | predation (e.g., killer whales, polar bears) |
| The genus name Delphinapterus translates to "dolphin without a fin." | 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 | Instead of a dorsal fin, belugas have 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 | Beluga whales are covered with a thick layer of blubber that accounts for up to 40 percent of their weight. The blubber keeps them warm in the arctic waters and stores energy. |
| 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 | Some beluga populations shed their outer skin layer each summer during an annual molt. They rub against coarse gravel in shallow waters to help remove the old, yellowed skin layer. |
| 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 | Unlike other dolphins and whales, their neck vertebrae are not fused, allowing belugas to nod and move their heads from side to side. |
| Belugas are known to go through menopause, along with humans and other whales such as killer whales and narwhals | Species known to undergo menopause include humans, beluga whales, killer whales, false killer whales, narwhals, short-finned pilot whales, and likely, bottlenose dolphins. |
| In northwest Alaska, pregnancy rates showed signs of decline after age 46 | Pregnancy rates showed signs of decline after the age of 46 years in northwest Alaska. |
| yet the oldest female there, aged 70, was carrying a near-term fetus, a calf nearly ready to be born | However, it is notable that the oldest female in northwest Alaska, age 70, was carrying a near-term fetus. |
| Sailors nicknamed them "sea canaries" because they squeal, squeak, and chirp. | They squeal, squeak, and chirp, which is why sailors long ago called them “sea canaries.” (note: "because" paraphrases "which is why") |
| 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. | Belugas are known as the “canaries of the sea” because they produce many different sounds, including whistles, squeals, moos, chirps, and clicks. They rely on their hearing and ability to echolocate, using sound, to navigate and hunt for prey. |
| 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. | Unlike other dolphins and whales, their neck vertebrae are not fused, allowing belugas to nod and move their heads from side to side. |
| 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. | Some beluga populations shed their outer skin layer each summer during an annual molt. They rub against coarse gravel in shallow waters to help remove the old, yellowed skin layer. |
| a whale that sailors called the "sea canary": belugas squeal, squeak and chirp | They squeal, squeak, and chirp, which is why sailors long ago called them “sea canaries.” |
| a round, flexible melon on the forehead focuses and modulates their calls | the top of their head is characterized by a round, flexible “melon” that focuses and modulates their vocalizations |
| tags: ocean | They swim among ice floes in arctic and subarctic waters ... are thus well-adapted to both cold ocean habitats and relatively warmer freshwater habitats. |
| tags: freshwater | Belugas also seasonally inhabit estuaries and large river deltas to feed on fish runs, and are thus well-adapted to both cold ocean habitats and relatively warmer freshwater habitats. |

## Delphinapterus leucas (beluga). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Delphinapterus_leucas/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| a bulbous forehead that can break through ice for a breath | Belugas spend a lot of their time near ice packs in the winter and are commonly seen using their bulbous forehead to break through ice 10cm thick in order to make a hole for breathing. |
| a bulbous forehead that can break through ice 10 centimetres thick | commonly seen using their bulbous forehead to break through ice 10cm thick in order to make a hole for breathing |
| Belugas use those clicks along with their melon-like forehead to find cracks in the ice | Their clicks are often in short pulses and are used along with their melon like forehead as a type of echolocation to find cracks in the ice caps to surface to breathe. (note: ADW's "often" qualifies the clicks' short pulses, not how often the melon is used, so it is not dropped) |
| commonly seen using that same bulbous forehead to break through ice 10 centimetres thick to make a hole for breathing | commonly seen using their bulbous forehead to break through ice 10cm thick in order to make a hole for breathing |
| 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. | Their clicks are often in short pulses and are used along with their melon like forehead as a type of echolocation to find cracks in the ice caps to surface to breathe. (note: ADW's "often" qualifies the clicks' short pulses, not how often the melon is used, so it is not dropped) |
| They are also commonly seen using the same bulbous forehead to break through ice 10 centimetres thick to make a hole for breathing. | commonly seen using their bulbous forehead to break through ice 10cm thick in order to make a hole for breathing |

## Lowry, Reeves & Laidre (2017). Delphinapterus leucas. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017: e.T6335A50352346.

https://doi.org/10.2305/iucn.uk.2017-3.rlts.t6335a50352346.en

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Least Concern | IUCN Red List category: Least Concern (LC). |