Beluga Whale

Delphinapterus leucas

Beluga Whale

“ Don't think this means I'm giving up. There's more than one way to decapitate a hellhound, and as it so happens, I know them all. ”

– Jennifer Lynn Barnes

Scientific Taxonomy & Character Information

Domain: Eukaryota

Kingdom: Animalia

Phylum: Chordata

Clade: Synapsida

Class: Mammalia

Order: Artiodactyla

Infraorder: Cetacea

Family: Monodontidae

Genus: Delphinapterus

Species: Delphinapterus leucas

Descendant: Denebola brachycephala

Name by: Peter Simon Pallas

Year by Named: 1776

Size: 5.5 m (18 ft) meters in length; 1,600 kg (3,530 lb) in weight

Lifespan: 35 to 50+ years

Type: 

Title: 

Pantheon: Terran/Gaian

Time Period: Pleistocene - Holocene (12,000?BCE–present) mya

Alignment: Docile

Threat Level: ★★

Diet: Carnivorous

Elements: Water, sound

Inflicts: Waterblight, soundblight

Weaknesses: Fire, nature, electric, light, dark

Casualties: n/a

Based On: itself

Conservation Status: 

Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) or Sea Canary, is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. 

Etymology

The English name comes from the Russian белу́га (belúga), which derives from the word белый (bélyj/bélyy), meaning "white". Nowadays the word белу́га (belúga) in Russian refers to the beluga sturgeon.

Physical Appearance

The beluga is uniquely adapted for existence in the Arctic thanks to its unique anatomical and physiological traits that set it apart from other cetaceans. These include the fact that it is entirely white and doesn't have a dorsal fin, which enables it to swim easily under ice. The echolocation organ known as the melon, which is large and deformable in this species, is housed in a recognizable protuberance on the front of its head. Beluga is one of the smallest species of whale in the family Monodontidae.


Because it is entirely white or whitish-grey in color, adult beluga whales are rarely confused for any other species. Calves are typically born grey and turn dark gray or blue gray within a month of birth. At the ages of seven years for females and nine years for males, they then begin to gradually lose their pigmentation until they reach their distinctive white coloration. To protect themselves from their main predators, polar bears and killer whales, belugas' white skin color is an adaptation to life in the Arctic that enables them to blend in with the polar ice caps.

Abilities

The body of this whale is bulky. Blubber, or subcutaneous fat, makes up a sizable portion of its weight, like it does in many cetaceans. It can move around and locate breathing holes under sheet ice thanks to its echolocation and highly developed sense of hearing. The beluga has a neck that is much more flexible than that of most other whales, allowing it to nod and turn its head in all directions.


In captivity, all belugas are able to imitate human speech in a range several octaves lower than that of typical whale calls. A beluga has been heard to sound human before, and in the wild, they frequently make childlike noises.

Ecology

Beluga whales are extremely social mammals that migrate, live, and hunt in groups of a few whales to hundreds of whales. Although they can congregate in the hundreds or even thousands in estuaries and shallow coastal areas during the summer, beluga whales are gregarious and typically form groups of ten animals. Although they're slow swimmers, they can dive to a depth of 700 meters (2,300 feet). They are opportunistic feeders, and the season and location of their habitat determine what they eat.


The Arctic Ocean, as well as the seas and coasts surrounding North America, Russia, and Greenland, are where beluga whales spend the majority of their lives. It is estimated that there are about 200,000 belugas worldwide. Most of their migratory groups spend the winter close to the Arctic ice cap; during the summer, when the sea ice melts, they move to warmer river estuaries and coastal regions. Some populations are stationary throughout the year and do not travel long distances.


For example, when they are in the Beaufort Sea, they mainly eat Arctic cod (Boreogadus saida), and the stomachs of belugas caught near Greenland were found to contain rose fish (Sebastes marinus), Greenland halibut (Reinhardtius hippoglossoides), and northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis), while in Alaska, their staple diet is Coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). In general, the diets of these cetaceans consist mainly of fish; apart from those previously mentioned, other fish they feed on include capelin (Mallotus villosus), smelt, sole, flounder, herring, sculpin, and other types of salmon. They also consume a great quantity of invertebrates, such as shrimp, squid, crabs, clams, octopus, sea snails, bristle worms, and other deep-sea species. Belugas feed mainly in winter, as their blubber is thickest in late winter and early spring and thinnest in the fall. Inuit observation has led scientists to believe that belugas do not hunt during migration, at least in Hudson Bay.

Behavior

In groups of around 10 whales, belugas are very sociable and friendly, but during their summer migration, numbers can reach thousands. Please don't move or touch the animal.

Distribution and Habitat

The beluga inhabits a discontinuous circumpolar distribution in Arctic and sub-Arctic waters. During the summer, they can mainly be found in deep waters ranging from 76°N to 80°N, particularly along the coasts of Alaska, northern Canada, western Greenland and northern Russia. The southernmost extent of their range includes isolated populations in the St. Lawrence River in the Atlantic, and the Amur River delta, the Shantar Islands and the waters surrounding Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk.


Vagrants may travel further south to areas such as Irish and Scottish waters, the islands of Orkney and Hebrides, and to Japanese waters. Although they are most frequently observed in shallow waters near the coast, belugas are known to spend extended periods of time in deeper water, to feed and give birth to their young.


Tamed

You must abide by two rules in order to tame the animal. The first is to continue giving the narwhal food. The second is to get rid of or divert attention from the nearby animals. Using a swift water mount to maintain your proximity to the narwhal while supplying it with meat, clams, or squid would be beneficial.

Lore

Bereshit - 300,000-70,000 BCE

Project Pashneia, a scientific initiative by the Terran branch of Aesirs or Deities to create or alter all creatures, including humans and recent animals, was where Eostre modified the beluga whale. The Aurorium neurotransmitters, which were located deep within the narwhal brain, were a system of receptors created especially to react to certain Terran Ancient Artifacts or Pieces of Eden made of adamantium that were in charge of influencing emotions, thoughts, behavior, and adding or enhancing magical abilities.

Known Individuals

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Foreign Languages

Trivia