Delphinapterus leucas

(Pallas, 1776)

Vernacular names
English : Beluga
French : Bélouga

Classification
Class : Mammalia
Order : Cetartiodactyla
Family : Monodontidae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach up to 4.5 meters in length, males being larger and longer than females. Small blunt head with short beak and upwards curved mouth. Globe-like melon on rostrum, fins are small. Coloration is almost entirely white.

Range and habitat
The species is found in most of the Arctic and subarctic waters, especially around Canada, Greenland and Russia to Finland. Lives in coastal waters, estuaries and, during winter, seawater around packs of ice.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : LEAST CONCERN
CITES : Appendix II
Status : The species has been recently downlisted as many populations are still numerous. Intensively hunted in the past. Some populations are endangered.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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