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Beluga Whale

Body Characteristics Body Characteristics Let’s learn about the Beluga Whale’s body characteristics. Beluga whales have very thick skin. They grow between feet and weigh between 1,100-3,300 pounds. Baby belugas are gray and turn white over the years. Belugas have 1 blowhole. They need a blowhole because it helps them breathe. They also have blubber, which is coating under the skin that keeps them warm during the winter. Beluga whales are the only whales that can bend their neck. I enjoyed telling you about the Beluga Whale’s body characteristics, I’m looking forward to telling you about the life cycle.

Life Cycle Life Cycle Let’s talk about the Beluga Whale’s amazing life cycle. When Beluga babies are born they are blue-gray color. They are 5 feet long and weigh pounds. That’s big for a baby! They change to white when they are 5 or 6 years old. One baby is born every three years. Beluga Whales stay together in groups called pods. Babies learn how to hunt by watching their mother. Kind of like you learn from your teacher. Beluga Whales can live up to 40 years old. Humans can live more than 2x longer. I love learning about the life cycle, I can’t wait for food and nutrition.

A Beluga baby with its mother

Food and Nutrition Food and Nutrition Let’s talk about the food and nutrition of the Beluga Whale. The Beluga hunts in small packs, and they heard their pray into shallow waters. They eat at depths of 1,640 feet. That’s Pretty deep! They feast on worms, crustaceans, and fish. Worms and crustaceans don’t sound to good but I guess they like it. In early May Beluga Whales start to hunt their food. I enjoyed learning about food and nutrition with you. Next up we will learn about habitat.

Habitat Now let’s talk about the habitat of the Beluga Whale. They hang out in the icy waters of the Atlantic ocean. You can find them in northern Russia, North America, and Greenland. They migrate to warmer water in the summer. They do this because they get trapped in the ice often. I can’t blame them who would want to get trapped in the ice. Learning about habitat is lots of fun, but I can’t wait to tell you about enemies and survival functions.

Beluga pod

Enemies and Survival Functions Enemies and Survival Functions It’s time for enemies and survival functions! Beluga whales don’t have many predators. One enemy is the Orca whale because they can swim faster and catch food easier. Belugas fear of polar bears because when Beluga whales get trapped in the ice they are easy pray for the bears. They also fear humans. Some people eat Beluga whales. There is pollution in Lawrence river which is also a big threat. There are only 25,000 Beluga whales left in the world. So help them the best you can. Pretty soon you’ll learn some interesting facts.

A Beluga stuck in ice

Interesting Facts I love interesting facts! Here are some. Whales sleep by switching their brain off half at a time! They need the other half to breathe. Isn’t that crazy! Believe it or not Belugas are mammals. Beluga whales are in the same family as the Narwhal whale. When Belugas change faces they look like they are smiling or frowning, but they are just trying to communicate with each other. In Chinese mythology Yu-Kiang was a whale with the hands and feet of a human, he was said to rule the ocean. Interesting facts are fun but now it’s time for the closing paragraph.

Recourses Books: Beluga Whales by: Ann O. Squire Websites: Alaskaoutdoorjornal.com Thinkquest.org adfg.state.ak.us.com arkive.org Enchantedlearning.com Ebeskoanimals.com Fact File cards Zoobook magazine