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Belukha description for children. Belukha (polar dolphin). Reproduction and life expectancy of beluga whales

The white whale, or the white dolphin, whose name is the Far Eastern beluga whale, are mammals belonging to the dolphin family, the suborder is toothed whales.

Habitat

The basic place of residence is the seas of the Arctic Ocean, therefore they are called differently polar dolphins. Sometimes they can be found in the waters of the Yenisei, Ob and Lena.

White dolphins give preference to sea spaces with a large number of large and small fish that they feed on.

Appearance

The white dolphin is a large marine animal. Males are 6 m long, their weight is 1.5-2 tons, females are up to 5 m long and weighing up to 1.5 tons. An adult dolphin of white color, from which it got its name.

A newborn cub with a dark blue skin, which, with its growth, becomes with a grayish tint, and then acquires a pale blue color. The blueness fades, and by the age of 5 the dolphin becomes pure white, which it retains for life.

A white dolphin has a small head of a special structure, it does not have a beak, which is inherent in all mammals of this family. There is a fat pad on the forehead, which helps the animal to navigate in the surrounding space. Moving cervical vertebrae allow him to turn his head to the sides.

Having developed facial muscles, the beluga whale is endowed with the ability to reproduce facial movements, showing sadness, joy, contempt or indifference.

The body has small wide pectoral fins, while the dorsal fins are absent. "Wingless dolphin" - this is what the beluga whale is called because of the lack of a dorsal fin. The animal has a powerful tail.

The outer cover of the body is durable and characterized by good thermal insulation, its thickness is two centimeters. A thick 15 cm thick fat layer protects the internal organs from extreme cold.

Behavior

The white dolphin moves at a speed of 10 km per hour, and when it is in danger, it can increase its speed of movement up to 25 km per hour. The animal feels great when swimming on its back or backward. The beluga whale can do without air for 15 minutes, sinking 300 m into the abyss, Swimming, every two minutes it emerges from the water space for a breath of air.

The growth of the mammal continues until the age of eleven. Beluga whales live up to 35-40 years old, and in captivity they live up to 45.

White dolphins try to live in herds of large numbers of groups. In some - females and cubs, in others - adult males. A herd can contain up to 90 animals, and the maximum number of heads in a group is 7 individuals.

Closer to spring, animals swim to the northern shores, staying there throughout the summer, in narrow bays near river mouths, where there are a lot of fish.

The large white dolphin in nature has two enemies:

polar bears on land when they fall into ice-covered ice holes;
killer whale in the water.

The World Ocean is also dangerous for animals, the waters of which are constantly polluted.

Reproduction

Females reach sexual maturity at the age of four, and males at the age of eight. The mating period begins in April and lasts until autumn. Sexually mature males mate with a large number of females. Some females are ready to mate immediately after giving birth. The duration of pregnancy is 11 months.

Females expecting offspring create separate groups. Only one cub is born, the baby is born tail first. The length of a newborn is one and a half meters. After birth, he immediately rises to the surface of the water and takes the first breath. Youngsters are fed with milk until the age of one year.

Nutrition

The white dolphin is a good hunter, so it has a varied diet. To get food, they are united in small groups of 5-6 animals. They eat worms, molluscs, crustaceans and various types of fish, which form large schools at the seabed. Communicating with each other, they drive the fish into shallow water, and there they eat it.

The animal has 8-10 pairs of sharp teeth to hold slippery prey, and the food is swallowed whole, sucking it in together with water.

When detecting an obstacle or examining the situation, dolphins can make different sounds. They inform each other about their condition. There are sounds that indicate goodbye, greeting, danger, concern. By the sounds they recognize their relatives. Cubs are known to be given a birth name and respond to it. In addition to sound communication, they keep in touch with each other with facial expressions.

The most talkative representative of the dolphin is the beluga whale - this is the name of the polar white dolphin. She can squeal, whistle, emit melodic iridescent trills, similar to clucking, chirping and meowing, sing with the voices of birds and imitate bell ringing. Representatives of this class have more than 50 sound signals. For such skills, beluga whales are called "sea canaries".

Since ancient times, people have hoped to establish contact with dolphins, which would help establish their intellectual level of development. But for animals, human speech is incomprehensible, and so far you have to communicate with gestures and short sounds.

Threats

Migrating annually along the same road, in the recent past, beluga whales were an easy game for whalers. They were driven to sandy shoals, where they "crashed". These animals were destroyed very cruelly. Beluga whales were caught with seines and nets. They were hunted for high-quality fat, strong skin and meat. In the modern world, the danger to belugas lies in the pollution of coastal waters.

The white dolphin is agile despite being overweight.
In winter, it dives to a depth of 1000 m when hunting for pollock, goby, flounder and cod.
Vision is well developed under and above water. There is a hypothesis that it is colored, but scientists have not yet confirmed this fact.
The phrase “beluga roar” is a distinctive roar during the male's rut.

Dolphin therapy

Belugas are sociable and cheerful animals. Their friendly communication is widely used in medicine.

For the rehabilitation of disabled children with Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy and other diseases, the white dolphin comes to the rescue. What is the name of this treatment method?

In the seventies of the last century, D. Nathanson, an American psychologist, it was officially confirmed that after the contact of children with Down syndrome with white dolphins, there were some health improvements. Later, in Germany and Israel, the dolphin therapy method was included in official programs for the rehabilitation of disabled children.

In Russia, since 2012, children have been undergoing psychological rehabilitation courses at the dolphin therapy department of the Sochi Dolphinarium. Unfortunately, until now, this recovery method has not been included in the official register of rehabilitation techniques.

A dolphin figurine brings happiness - says oriental wisdom. And also it is one of the symbols of creativity, harmony and friendship.

Beluga whale (Latin Delphinapterus leucas) is a species of toothed whales from the narwhal family

In the 19th century, two variants of the spelling of the name of this animal were widespread: "beluga" and "beluga". In modern language, the word "beluga" has only one meaning - beluga fish

Appearance

The color of the skin is monochromatic. Changes with age: newborns are dark blue, after a year they become gray and bluish-gray; individuals over 3-5 years old are pure white (hence the name).

The largest males reach 6 m in length and 2 tons in mass; females are smaller. The body is moderately elongated, the head is relatively small (without a beak), rounded, with a strongly developed fat pad. Interception in the neck area is clearly pronounced. Simple peg-shaped teeth located on both jaws (up to 52 in total), rarely set. Weight 0.6 t - 1 t. Pectoral fins are small and wide. In males, the tips of the pectoral fins are bent upward and the rostrum is longer and wider in the distal part.

The vertebrae on the neck are not fused together, so the beluga whale, unlike most whales, is able to turn its head. The pectoral fins are small, oval in shape. The dorsal fin is absent; hence the Latin name of the genus Delphinapterus - "wingless dolphin".

The head is round., Small, 7-9 times shorter than body length. Sexual dimorphism in body proportions is weak. The skull, like the body size, is the largest in the Far Eastern belugas (570-648 mm), smaller in the Kara (502-635 mm) and even smaller in the White Sea (424-585 mm).

According to the color, which changes with age, four age groups are distinguished:

1) "blue" (suckers 140-280 cm long, still without teeth, slate blue);

2) "gray" (250-390 cm, teeth are available; feed on their own, but keep with the uterus);

3): "blue" (270-470 cm; females are already sexually mature, and males are only in the initial stage of puberty);

4) "white" (males 350-600, females 320-500 cm; all sexually mature).

However, these groups should be clarified in connection with the new histological data of V.M.Belkovich (1959) on the migration of skin pigment, which determines in newborns (165 cm long) a light gray color with a brown tint, in grown suckers (235 cm) - dark - gray and almost black, even later - light gray and, finally, white.

Subspecies

Beluga whales living in the waters of the Soviet Union are divided into 3 subspecies, which, however, is often questionable (perhaps these are only local populations).

The Kara beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas leucas Pallas, 1776) occupies an average position between the other two subspecies in size, body length is about 390 cm inhabits the Barents, Kara and Laptev Seas.

The White Sea beluga whale (D. l. Marisalbi Ostroumov, 1935) is the smallest of the three subspecies, the body length is 312 cm on average. It lives in the White Sea and partly in the Barents Sea.

The Far Eastern beluga whale (D. l. Dorofeevi Klumov et Barabasch, 1935) is the largest of the three subspecies, with an average body length of 424 cm. It lives in the Okhotsk, Bering, Chukchi seas and in the northern part of the Sea of Japan.

Spreading

Inhabits the northern part of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as the seas of the Arctic Ocean, almost circularly. In the Pacific Ocean, it lives in the northern part of the Sea of Japan (the Tatar and La Perouse straits), in the Okhotsk, Bering and Chukchi seas. There is no beluga whale in the East Siberian Sea. Then it is found in the Laptev Sea, Kara, White, Barents Seas. Further to the west, it lives in the waters of Northern Norway, Svalbard, Iceland, Greenland and in the large water area of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago, not reaching the eastern borders of the Chukchi Sea. To the north, the beluga whale penetrates up to 75 ° N, and in some places even further.

Beluga whales are characterized by seasonal migrations. Separate populations exist within a vast species range, each of which has its own routes and timing of migration. In summer, the beluga whale keeps both near the coast and in the open sea, in clear water and at the edge of ice fields, in fine ice and in polynyas. It hibernates, apparently, in openings among ice and in non-freezing areas of the sea, for example, Barentsov, Karsky, Bely. There is a relationship between the approach of beluga whales to the shores and ice conditions, the amount of river runoff, and the climatic conditions of the northern seas. In spring, approaching the shores of, for example, Svalbard, beluga whales usually consist of only adult males and mixed shoals of mature males and females and juveniles.

Nutrition

Throughout the vast range, the main food objects are various types of fish, and they are mainly consumed by species that form clusters. In search of food in summer, animals often enter small, medium-sized rivers, sometimes climbing along them 700 (Khatanga), 1000 (Yenisei), 1500 (Ob), and even 2000 km (Amur river with Argun river) from the mouth. In the summer, the adults feed mainly on fish, while the young feed largely on invertebrates. Winter nutrition has not been studied.

The White Sea beluga whale feed includes: navaga, cod, haddock, flounder, herring, capelin, smelt, stickleback, pinagor, lamprey, Crangon crangon shrimp, bivalve molluscs and algae; Kara beluga - Arctic cod, navaga, whitefish, nelma, Siberian sturgeon, pike, smelt, herring, rib jellyfish; Far Eastern beluga whales - chum salmon, navaga and herring, as well as pink salmon, kunzha, Okhotsk whitefish, flounder, rudd Leuciscns brandti, eelpout, gobies, blenny dogs, lampreys, crustaceans, cephalopods and bivalve molluscs Mytilas edulis.

In the western part of the North Atlantic in the stomachs of beluga whales, in addition to fish (cod, sea bass, sea cat and halibut), worms and molluscs were found. The pebbles found in stomachs may represent gastroliths for grinding food. The stomach of the beluga whale is 5-chambered, the intestine is 6-9 times longer than the body.

According to the data obtained in the Sea of Okhotsk, young beluga whales, switching from dairy to independent feeding, begin to eat crustaceans, then switch to feeding on small fish and, only having reached a certain age, can fish such large fish as Far Eastern salmonids.

Lifestyle

Belugas make regular seasonal migrations. In the spring, they begin to move to the coast - to shallow bays, fjords and estuaries of northern rivers. Flying near the coast is due to the abundance of food here and higher water temperatures. In addition, coastal areas are convenient places to moult; to remove the dead surface layer of the skin, beluga whales rub against pebbles in shallow water. Beluga whales are attached to the same flying places, visiting them from year to year. Tracking individual individuals showed that beluga whales remember their place of birth and the way to it after wintering.

In winter, as a rule, the edges of ice fields hold, but sometimes they penetrate far into the glaciation zone, where winds and currents support cracks, openings and openings. When large water areas are iced, they make massive migrations to the south. Polynyas, to which belugas ascend to breathe, can be several kilometers apart. Beluga whales support them, preventing them from freezing; they are capable of breaking ice up to several centimeters thick with their backs.

Nevertheless, wintering sometimes ends tragically for beluga whales, when the openings are covered with too thick ice or a herd of beluga whales is captured by ice. In winter, beluga whales are hunted by a polar bear, which traps prey near the wormwood and suppresses it with blows of its paws. Another enemy of belugas is the killer whale.

Beluga whales travel in herds of two types of groups. One is a group of 1-3 adult females (presumably sisters) and their cubs of different ages. Another type is groups of 8-16 adult males. Chasing schools of fish, beluga whales sometimes stray into herds of hundreds and even thousands of heads.

Belugas are social creatures. For the variety of sounds they make, the Americans nicknamed the beluga whale "sea canary", and the Russians developed the phraseological unit "beluga roar". Researchers counted about 50 sound signals (whistle, squeal, chirping, clatter, grinding, shrill scream, roar). In addition, beluga whales use body language (flip flops on the water with their tail fins) and even facial expressions.

A typical gregarious animal, forming groups of various numbers (herds of up to 1000 individuals). Solitary animals are rare. In pursuit of anadromous fish (for example, salmon in the Far East) sometimes form huge, fast-moving schools. The front part of such a school is usually made up of adult males, in the middle and at the end of the school there are females (including females, accompanied by cubs) and immature animals. Small groups, as a rule, consist of animals of different sex and age.

Sometimes, when exhaling, it throws out a small fountain. He orients himself under water with the help of hearing. This helps to swim under the ice, find holes and holes, get away from the nets.

The beluga whale does not avoid ice, in some cases it even hibernates in large polynyas. It can travel hundreds of kilometers through areas of dense ice, striving to reach clear water in the pre-estuarine spaces of rivers.

Life in the aquarium tolerates well, gets used to humans and can be taught some of the tricks performed by dolphins. She is capable of making various sounds (crackling, barking, etc.), which serve as a means of communication between animals.

The beluga whale is oriented primarily by hearing, less by sight, and, possibly, with the help of the organs of chemical perception localized on the surface of the tongue root. She reacts very sharply to some sounds that the marine environment perfectly conducts, from afar she hears the strikes of oars against the water, steps on fast ice, the splash of waves on the edges of ice floes and holes, etc. such as whistling, squealing, chirping, clicking, screeching, grinding, or loud “roar”.

The frequency of oscillation of whistling sounds, in which air bubbles are released from the spout, is 500-10,000 hertz, and the grating sounds are higher than 20,000 hertz (some of them are recorded on tape). Some sounds play the role of various signals, while others are used for echolocation. For the purpose of location, ultrasounds of two types are emitted - long pulses with a variable vibration frequency and short pulses of variable duration at the same frequency. The former are used for general orientation in the environment (determining the proximity of the shore, the depth of the bottom), and the latter for hydroacoustic probing of closely spaced objects (accumulations of food, etc.). The beluga whale is well-versed in fluctuations in the water level and in currents, it leaves dangerous places in time, which is why it dries up very rarely.

Reproduction

The period of childbirth and mating is extended to 5-6 months, but for most of the females, these periods are more compressed, and they are different depending on the geographical areas of the range. Mating is likely to peak in May-June. Pregnancy lasts 11-12 months. The usual sizes of newborns are 130-150 cm, weight is 60-150 kg. The longest embryo is 183 cm, and the smallest calf is 116 cm. The initial coloration of the calf after birth is light gray with a brownish tint, but later darkens. Twins are very rare and triplets have only been found once. During the milk feeding period, which lasts 8-10 months, they grow rapidly. Some females can mate, not only without completing the lactation period, but even soon (1-2 weeks) after giving birth. The length of a cub at the age of 1 year reaches almost 300 cm.

Females reach sexual maturity at the age of 4-6, males - 6-9 years. They give birth annually or, less often, after 2 years. Life expectancy has not been established. Sexual maturity of females occurs at 6 years of age with a body length of 275 cm, when there are 12 complete dentin layers in the teeth, and males' sexual maturity at 6-9 years with a size of 275-320 cm, when there are 12-18 layers of dentin in the teeth. However, Khuzin (1961) notes the lengthy maturation of females from 2 to 6 years. The greatest number of dentin layers was found in belugas, 50; it is assumed that each year two complete layers are formed in the teeth, each of which has a dark and a light part. The volume of the gonads in sexually mature males is 600-1450 cm3, and in females - up to 135 cm3.

Adapting to the environment

The skin with a thickened layer of epidermis (up to 15 mm thick) protects belugas from damage when swimming among the ice. A layer of subcutaneous fat up to 10-12 cm thick saves them from hypothermia.

In addition to the cries, beluga whales emit clicks in the ultrasonic range. A system of air sacs in the soft tissues of the head takes part in their production, and the radiation is focused by a special fat pad on the forehead - an acoustic lens. Clicks reflected from surrounding objects return to the beluga whale; The "antenna" is the lower jaw, which transmits vibrations to the middle ear cavity. Echo analysis allows the animal to get an accurate picture of the environment.

Despite its massiveness, the beluga whale is distinguished by its agility; she is able to swim on her back and even backwards. Usually swims at a speed of 3-9 km / h; frightened, it can jerk up to 22 km / h. At an average speed, beluga whales emerge every 1-1.5 minutes, but they are able to stay under water for up to 15 minutes. Beluga whale is adapted to virtuoso maneuvers in shallow water. If she nevertheless "runs aground" during low tide or in pursuit of a school, then, after waiting for the tide, she may return to the sea.

Economic value

Object of limited fishing (hide and fat are used). For the last three decades, commercial beluga whale fishing has not been conducted in Russia; several dozen individuals are harvested annually for the needs of the peoples of the North and the Far East, scientific research and dolphinariums.

The beluga whale satisfactorily tolerates captivity and is well trained. It was first presented at the Barnum Circus in 1861. Some specialties successfully mastered by dolphins and beluga whales (delivery of equipment to divers, search for lost objects, underwater video filming) can make them invaluable human helpers in the exploration of the Arctic.

They began to catch beluga whales in northern waters back in the 9th century. After the October Revolution, it was hunted (with nets, seines, firearms) in greatest quantities near Sakhalin, less in the White Sea, Czech Bay, Novaya Zemlya, in the Ob Bay and the Yenisei Bay. The beluga whale fishery reached its greatest development in the early 1930s, when about 5,000 heads per year were hunted in the European north and the Far East. The next increase in production took place in the 50s, but during this period the total annual production did not exceed 3000 heads. Then insufficient attention was paid to the beluga whale fishery, and it sharply declined. Outside of domestic waters, beluga whale harvest has always been low.

They are mined in the Far Eastern seas, the Ob and Czech lips, on Novaya Zemlya and in the Yenisei delta, in the coastal strip, most often with fixed nets, less often with rifles or harpoon guns.

The largest males weigh up to 2 tons, and females up to 1.5 tons. Body parts of an adult beluga whale (600 kg) weighed (in kg): skin armor (epidermis) - 32, skin without epidermis - 13, head thickening - 5, trunk fat - 171.4, head fat - 8.6, meat - 190, skeleton - 65, pectoral fins - 7.2, tail lobes - 7.8, liver - 12, heart - 3, lungs - 16.5, kidneys - 3.5, stomach - 12.5, intestines - 15.5, genitals - 7.0, blood - 30. The animal is prized for its firm skin, subcutaneous, jaw and head fat. Medical fat and high-quality lubricating oils are prepared from lard; the hide is used as raw material for the manufacture of soles and drive belts.

Population status and protection

Since 1994, the species is included in the IUCN Red List with the status of Vulnerable. As of May 1999, there were about 30 herds of beluga whales in the world, the total number of which was estimated at 100-200 thousand individuals (excluding Russia). At present, the main threat to beluga whales lies not in intensive fishing, but in the industrial development of the Arctic shelf and pollution of the beluga whale's habitat with wastes and pesticides.

Beluga whale roar

In the Russian language, there is a phraseological unit “beluga roar” associated with the loud sounds that beluga whales make. In the 19th century, two variants of the spelling of the name of this animal were widespread: "beluga" and "beluga". In modern language, the word "beluga" has the main meaning - beluga fish, but for a mammal, "beluga" is also used.

The world's oceans amaze with the variety of living organisms not only for ordinary people, but also for seasoned researchers. According to ichthyologists, only 10% of marine life is known and more or less studied by modern scientists. This is due to the difficulties that explorers of the open sea face: great depth, lack of daylight, pressure of water masses, and the threat from underwater predators. Still, some have been studied quite well. For example, beluga whale is a mammal from the suborder of toothed whales, belonging to the small family of narwhals.

Appearance

To understand what a beluga whale looks like, you need to imagine a huge dolphin with a small head without a beak ("nose"). A characteristic feature of the animal is the presence of a large convex forehead on the head, therefore, the beluga whale is often called "lobasta". Their cervical vertebrae are not fused, so these representatives of cetaceans, unlike most of their relatives, can turn their heads in different directions.

Beluga whales have small oval pectoral fins and a powerful tail, but no dorsal fin.

Adult animals (over three years old) have a solid white skin, hence their name. Babies are born blue or even dark blue, but after a year, their skin brightens and takes on a delicate bluish-gray tint.

Beluga is a mammal of impressive size: males reach 5-6 meters in length and weigh at least 1.5-2 tons, females are smaller.

Habitat

These sea inhabitants have chosen the waters of the Arctic Ocean - the Kara, Barents, Chukchi seas. In the White Sea, they are often found near The most densely settled beluga whales are located between 50 ° and 80 ° north latitude. They inhabit the marginal seas of the Pacific Ocean - Okhotsk, Japanese and Bering, and enter the Baltic Sea (Atlantic Ocean basin).

Belukha is a marine mammal, but in pursuit of prey it often enters the large northern rivers - Amur, Ob, Lena, Yenisei, swimming upstream for hundreds of kilometers.

Nutrition

The basis of the beluga whale's diet is schooling fish - capelin, herring, Arctic cod, cod, Pacific navaga. They like to eat flounder, whitefish or salmon, less often they hunt for crustaceans and cephalopods.

They go fishing in a large flock. By "negotiating" with each other and acting together, they drive the fish into shallow water, where it is more convenient to fish.

The white beluga whale sucks up and swallows its prey whole. An adult individual consumes at least 15 kg of fish per day.

Lifestyle, habits and economic value

Kit or This will be discussed below. Now let's talk about the habits of these sea inhabitants. They ply the water in small flocks - 10-15 individuals each, and the males swim separately from the females with their calves. The average travel speed is 10-12 km / h, but in case of danger they can accelerate to 25 km / h.

Like an ordinary dolphin, the beluga whale can dive to a depth of 300 m, but every 5 minutes it comes to the surface to take a breath of fresh air. If necessary, it can continuously be under water for 15-20 minutes, but no more. This explains why beluga whales avoid glaciation zones in winter - the ice-covered water surface blocks their access to oxygen.

The natural enemies of the animal are killer whales and polar bears. If a killer whale chases a beluga whale under water, then it will have no chance of salvation. The polar bear hunts down "white whales" near the wormwood and kills them with its paw when they come to the surface, in order to then pull them out of the water and eat them.

Every spring, mammals molt in the literal sense of the word, that is, they shed their old dead skin, for which they rub their backs and sides against pebbles in shallow water.

Beluga is a sociable and cheerful animal, it is friendly towards people, it comes into contact with pleasure and lends itself well to training. Not a single case of a "white whale" attack on a person has yet been recorded. Therefore, these mammals often appear in dolphinariums, help divers, scouts, and explorers of the deep sea.

In nature, these cetaceans live up to 35-40 years, in captivity - up to 50 years.

Reproduction

Sexual maturity in belugas occurs late: in females at the age of 4-5 years, and in males not earlier than 7-9 years. Before mating, which falls in April-June, males conduct spectacular, but peaceful tournament fights, during which they do not harm each other. The winner goes with the female to a secluded place for mating.

Pregnancy lasts over a year - approximately 14 months. Before giving birth, the female swims into the river mouths, where the water is warmer. As a rule, only one cub is born, up to one and a half meters long, twins are extremely rare. Beluga whale is a mammal, that is, the female feeds her baby with milk. Feeding lasts up to two years, often at this time the beluga whale is already pregnant again. Fertility is lost at the age of 20.

Babies stay near their mothers until they are sexually mature, that is, they leave their native flock at the age of 4-6 years, after which the young gathers in a new group.

Population status

Beluga is a protected mammal. The population of "white whales" declined dramatically in the 18th and 19th centuries, when they became the coveted prey of whalers because of their high quality fat, tasty tender meat and thick, strong skin. Later, the capture of beluga whales began to be controlled, and at present, the number of these animals is, according to rough estimates, 200 thousand individuals. Therefore, there is no obvious threat of extinction of beluga whales, although they suffer greatly due to intensive human development of the Arctic and pollution of the waters of the Arctic Ocean.

Beluga whales have very developed muzzle muscles, so they are able to change their "facial" expression, that is, to demonstrate sadness or anger, joy or boredom. Such an amazing ability is not inherent in all underwater inhabitants.

Beluga whales swim in northern latitudes, their natural thermal insulation is provided by strong skin up to two centimeters thick and a thick layer of fat up to 15 cm thick. This protects animals from hypothermia.

Beluga whales are called "polar canaries" or "singing whales" because they emit up to 50 different sounds, as well as ultrasonic clicks through which they communicate with each other. It was from the ability of the "white whales" to make loud sounds that the Russian phraseological unit "beluga roar" began.

Beluga whale or dolphin?

Now you know everything about this sea dweller. But the question remains whether the beluga whale is a whale or a dolphin. It is popularly called a polar or white dolphin. This name arose due to the appearance and habitat of the animal. But in a biological sense, the beluga whale belongs to the order of whales, and the dolphin can be called its cousin. The evolutionary paths of their ancestors diverged several million years ago. Therefore, it would be more correct to say that the beluga whale is not a dolphin.

Delphinapterus leucas (Beluga)
Order Cetaceans - Cetacea
Suborder Toothed whales (Odontoceti)
Family:Narwhal (Monodontidae)

There are 2 species in the family: Delphinapterus leucas ( beluga) and Monodon monoceros ( narwhal).

In the Russian language, there is a phraseological unit “beluga roar” associated with the loud sounds that beluga whales make. In the 19th century, two variants of the spelling of the name of this animal were common: "Beluga" and "Beluga"... In modern language the word "beluga" has only one meaning - beluga fish.

general information

Status viewa- Vulnerable.
Habitat- circularly, between 50 ° and 80 ° N
Number of- 100-200 thousand individuals (excluding Russia), the population of Russian belugas is about 100 thousand.
Dorsal fin location- missing. Hence the Latin name of the genus Delphinapterus - "wingless dolphin".
Newborn length- 140-160 cm.
Adult length and weight- the largest males reach 6 m in length and 2 tons in mass; females - 5 m. and 1.5 t.
Life span- 30-40 years old.
Nutrition- mainly schooling fish (capelin, cod, Arctic cod, herring, navaga, flounder, whitefish and salmon species); to a lesser extent - crustaceans and cephalopods.

Area

Distributed circularly, between 50 ° and 80 ° N, inhabiting the Arctic, as well as the Bering and Okhotsk seas; in winter it sometimes enters the Baltic Sea. An isolated population is found in the estuary of the St. Lawrence River.

Number and status

As of May 1999, there were about 30 herds of beluga whales in the world, the total number of which was estimated at 100-200 thousand individuals (excluding Russia).

Russian range of beluga whales - the largest in the world. It is believed that the total population size is about 100 thousand individuals.
Sea of Okhotsk - three populations, each - 10-15 thousand individuals. In Chukotka, Anadyr Bay, there is a population of 10-15 thousand heads. The Laptev Sea, the Kara Sea - the classical beluga whale lives here, which Laplace described (by the way, he gave it its Latin name - leucas, that is, "white"); Barents and White Seas - 18–20 thous.

Since 1994, the species is included in the IUCN Red List with the status vulnerable(Vulnerable).

Currently, the main threat to beluga whales is the industrial development of the Arctic shelf and pollution of the beluga whale's habitat with wastes and pesticides.

By the decision of the International Conference on Monitoring Arctic Warming (Valencia, March 2007), two species of marine mammals ( beluga whale and seal) received the international status of species- "Bioindicators".
The long-term series of observations of the Institute of Oceanology of the Russian Academy of Sciences for the structure of the population of beluga whales in the White Sea are recognized as basic for understanding the effect of warming on the ecosystem, and it is recommended to continue these works.

Appearance

The beluga whale is protected from damage by the skin with a 15 mm thick layer of the epidermis, and the 12th layer of subcutaneous fat, which saves from hypothermia.

The color of the skin is monochromatic. Changes with age: newborns are dark blue, after a year they become gray and bluish-gray; individuals over 3-5 years old are pure white (hence the name).

The largest males reach 6 m in length and 2 tons in mass; females are smaller.
The head of the beluga whale is small, "forehead", without a beak. The vertebrae on the neck are not fused together, so the beluga whale, unlike most whales, is able to turn its head. The pectoral fins are small, oval in shape. The dorsal fin is absent; hence the Latin name of the genus Delphinapterus - "wingless dolphin".

Lifestyle and nutrition

Perhaps one of the main conclusions that scientists come to is that beluga whales do not have one pattern of behavior; they fit very plastically into the environment.

Belugas make regular seasonal migrations. In the spring, they begin to move to shallow bays, fjords and estuaries of northern rivers. In summer, beluga whales begin to move towards the coast. This is due to the presence of food and warmer water. Molting begins and coastal areas are convenient for this process.

To free themselves from dead skin layers, white whales rub against pebbles in shallow water. Beluga whales are usually tied to the same flying site, sailing there every year.

In the cold winter season, beluga whales stick to the edges of ice fields or penetrate into glacial zones. Winds and currents support cracks, openings and openings, to which beluga whales rise to breathe. But they can be at a distance of several kilometers from each other, and belugas support them, preventing them from freezing, breaking through ice up to several centimeters thick with their backs. But if the area is too icy, the whales swim to the south.

If beluga whales are captured by ice, when the ice holes are covered with too thick ice, polar bears can eat them. They lie in wait for the beluga whale near the wormwood and stun it with a blow of their paws. The killer whale also hunts for beluga whales.

The herd of beluga whales is divided into two groups: the first group includes from one to three adult females and young of different ages, and the second group - from eight to sixteen adult males. While chasing schools of fish, these whales can huddle in thousands in huge flocks.

Beluga is a very developed creature. This is evidenced by the many sounds emitted by these whales, and even some gestures and facial expressions. In addition, they are capable of producing clicks with air sacs on their heads and a fat pad on their foreheads.

Regular speed beluga whales in a calm state reach 9 km / h, with increased adrenaline - up to 20 km / h in jerks. Every one and a half minutes, it emerges to the surface, but is still able to stay underwater for up to fifteen minutes. Belugas are very agile and adaptable to maneuverability in shallow water, despite their mass.

Nutritional basis beluga whales are mainly schooling fish (capelin, cod, Arctic cod, herring, navaga, flounder, whitefish and salmon species); to a lesser extent - crustaceans and cephalopods.

Prey, especially bottom organisms, are not enough for beluga whales, but suck... An adult individual consumes about 15 kg of food per day. In pursuit of fish (salmon at spawning), beluga whales often enter large rivers (Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Amur), sometimes rising hundreds of kilometers upstream.

Cubs

Beluga whale breeding time- from spring to autumn; mating and childbirth takes place off the coast. White Sea- the only maternity hospital for all belugas in the European part of the Arctic.

Males often arrange tournament fights for females. Pregnancy lasts about 14 months; females bring offspring every 2-3 years. Usually one cub is born 140-160 cm long; very rarely - two.

Childbirth takes place at the mouths of rivers, where the water is warmer. The next mating takes place within one to two weeks after giving birth. Milk feeding lasts 12-24 months.

Sexual maturity in females usually occurs at 4-7 years, in males - at 7-9 years. The growth of beluga whales is completed by the age of 9-11. Females stop giving birth in the second decade.

The maximum known documented age of a beluga whale is 43 years. But, in all likelihood, this is not the limit.

Belukha and man

Beluga whale is of limited economic importance; only skin and fat are used.

For the last three decades, commercial beluga whale fishing has not been conducted in Russia; several dozen individuals are harvested annually for the needs of the peoples of the North and the Far East, scientific research and dolphinariums.

The beluga whale satisfactorily tolerates captivity and is well trained. It was first presented at the Barnum circus in 1861 year.

Some specialties successfully mastered by dolphins and beluga whales (delivery of equipment to divers, search for lost objects, underwater video filming) can make them invaluable human helpers in the exploration of the Arctic.

Beluga whale, or polar dolphin, is one of the most beautiful species of toothed whales.

Appearance

Beluga whales change their color throughout life. Newborn individuals have dark blue skin, by the time of puberty the skin becomes bluish-gray, and in adults it is snow-white without any blotches or spots.

Belugas are rather large mammals. The body length of males can reach 6 meters, and weight up to 2 tons. Females are smaller. The head of these animals is devoid of a beak, but has a pronounced frontal part. The neck of beluga whales has a unique structure for aquatic mammals. The cervical vertebrae of these animals are not fused with each other, so beluga whales can turn their heads.

The fins located on the chest are small and oval. There is no fin on the back, so belugas are also called "wingless dolphins".

The skin thickness of belugas can be up to 15 mm, which protects them from injury from ice. They are protected from the cold by a subcutaneous layer of fat, which can reach a thickness of 15 cm.

Lifestyle and diet

The lion's share of the diet of beluga whales is made up of sturgeon fish such as cod, herring, and capelin. Beluga whales do not disdain molluscs and crustaceans. In pursuit of prey, these animals can cover tens of kilometers.

Belugas make seasonal migrations. In the warm season, they live near the coast, in small bays and river estuaries. The choice of such habitats is due to the abundance of food here in the summer, the temperature of the water and the presence of pebbles in shallow water, which beluga whales rub against in order to remove the "dead" skin. Beluga whales remember the places of their flight, and they come to the same place every year.

In winter, beluga whales keep close to the ice edge. But sometimes they can swim to places of deep glaciation. Beluga whales are not afraid of ice, as they can break through the ice cover several centimeters thick. There are also tragic cases when polynyas are covered with a very thick layer of ice and beluga whales cannot get out of this captivity.

The enemy of belugas on the shore is a polar bear, and in the water, killer whales are dangerous.

Belugas prefer to travel in groups. Females with calves and males always live separately, uniting only for the duration of the hunt for large schools of fish. In such cases, the group may number hundreds of individuals.

Belugas constantly communicate with each other, making various sounds. Scientists have identified about 50 audio signals.

Like dolphins, beluga whales can emit ultrasonic signals that form in the air sacs of the head tissues and are focused in a fat pad located on the forehead called an acoustic lens. These signals are reflected from various objects and picked up by the lower jaw, and then transmitted to the middle ear. These signals allow belugas to receive information about their environment.

Reproduction

Mating and calving take place off the coast. The mating period is in the spring and summer. Fights for the female often take place among males. The gestation period is 14 months. More often, one cub is born, the body length of which does not exceed 160 cm. Feeding of the offspring can occur from one to 2 years.

Females are able to bear offspring from 4-7 years, and males reach sexual maturity by 7-9 years. The life expectancy of belugas is 40 years.

Beluga whale with a baby.

Spreading

Beluga whales can be found in the northern seas, such as the Okhotsk, White, and Berengovo seas.

Population protection

Beluga whales are listed in the Red Book with the status of "vulnerable". The main threat lies not in hunting beluga whales, but in the pollution of their habitats with waste and in the industrial development of the Arctic shelf.