Belugas and Blue Whale

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Description

        At a glance the beluga resembles a large chubby dolphin. Delphinapteras leucas, its scientific name, even means white dolphin without a fin. This is because on a beluga there is not a dorsal fin only a hard ridge on its creamy white body. However belugas are not always white. Calves start out muddy brown and their color gets lighter and lighter until at the age of 6 or 7 they become creamy white. Belugas may live until 30 and old animals turn a yellowish ivory color. The calves are 5ft. and weigh 170 lbs. When born they are pink but soon change to a dark gray color. At age 6 or 7 the belugas are creamy white, but may have some spots on the tail. The more you read about this creature the more interesting it becomes so read on!

Habitat

          Belugas live in the icy, cold Artic waters. They therefore have thick skin and a three inch layer of blubber. Some belugas inhabit the coasts of Alaska, Eastern Canada, and Greenland. When the Artic ice melts in May or June the belugas migrate  to estuaries,  inlets, and sometimes freshwater rivers Belugas don’t often travel south of Alaska, although in 1978 two belugas were sighted off the coast of N.J. Since the beluga lives in many different places you would think there are lots of belugas but there are estimated to be 50,000 in North America and about the same amount in the Soviet Artic.

How it lives

        Belugas communicate between each other and are very social animals. Migrating beluga pods can reach 100s or even 1,000s of animals. These pods travel regularly into freshwater rivers for feeding and calving. Beluga babies are born in July and August after the adults migrate. Females have one baby about every three years. The babies are called calves. Calves are in many ways like human babies. Just imagine being a beluga!

    Belugas have a few enemies. Their enemies include killer whales and polar bears. Killer whales are a threat because they are swifter than their beluga prey. Belugas usually travel at 5 mph but can do 20 if pursued. It takes little effort for a killer whale to catch and kill a beluga. Polar bears take advantage of a situation that occurs in fall when ice begins to form on the inlets where belugas migrate. When this occurs belugas may become trapped in the ice. Because the whales must surface to get air they are easy prey for the powerful claws of the bears. In this same situation starvation may also kill a beluga. Many things can kill a creature so always be gentle.

   Belugas eat many different fish and invertebrates. They are not extremely picky eaters. So, little fish beware!!!

Conclusion

    Explorers nicknamed belugas sea canaries….but some people think they’re just plain noisy! The sounds they make are all formed when air is pushed between two sacs. The sacs are just below the blowhole and are controlled with a belugas muscles.

Belugas, bowhead whales, walruses and narwhals had large populations 150 yrs. ago. While the population is lower belugas are still a familiar sight in the Artic.  

Blues

 Description

       Blues are baleen whales. Baleen whales are usually bigger than toothed whales. The blue is the largest creature on earth. The blues size on the inside…their heart is the size of a sports car, their arteries – drainpipes, and their tongue weighs 4 tons!

       The blue is a spotted blue gray color. When alga sticks to a blue’s skin it gives its underside a yellowish tint.  Different whales have different colors and sizes so if you see a Beluga don’t say you see a Blue!

    The blues tail lies horizontally. It moves up and down. The flukes lie about 18 ft. across. Their sturdy pectoral fins are called flippers. Flippers help to steer through water. So you’d better watch out!

How it lives

    Blues mate during a winter breeding season. This season is different in different hemispheres. In the northern hemisphere it is probably November to February. In the southern hemisphere it would probably be May to August. Males and females mate around the age of 10. The females mate every two or three years. Blue Whale calves depend on their mother for food and protection. They live on their mother’s milk for eight months. Obviously their helpless little (I mean big) creatures. (Ok, so, maybe their not exactly helpless!)

     Blues are mostly peaceful but can be dangerous. However, they could never swallow a person, their throat openings to small. Actually they feed on krill and other animals no bigger than your finger!

These whales can go thirty mph, making them no match for their predator the Orcas (killer whale). These whales can sometimes kill a blue. The Orcas can actually eat almost any thing in the ocean, so little and big fish beware!

Conclusion

Bibliography	Coral
Dolphins	Games
Glossary	Octopus
Killer Whale	Parrotfish
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