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Beluga Whale / Delphinapterus leucas, Arctic/sub-Arctic cetacean, Vancouver Aquarium, BC, CANADA.

The Beluga Whale or White Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean, a member of the family Monodontidae. It is also called the sea canary due to its high-pitched twitter. Photographed in the Vancouver Aquarium, 845 Avison Way, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6G 3E2, CANADA. The Beluga has adapted to life in the Arctic with its white color and lack of a dorsal fin (to avoid bumping surface sea ice). Its distinctive bump at the front of its head contains an echolocation organ called the melon. Most belugas live in the Arctic, seas and coasts around North America, Russia and Greenland. They are migratory and most groups spend the winter around the Arctic ice cap. When the sea ice melts in summer, they move to warmer river estuaries and coastal areas. Whale hunting has been under international control since 1973. Currently, only certain Inuit groups are allowed subsistence-hunting of belugas. The beluga was placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List in 2008 as being "near threatened". The subpopulation from the Cook Inlet in Alaska is considered Critically Endangered and is under the protection of the United States' Endangered Species Act. Of seven Canadian beluga populations, the two inhabiting eastern Hudson Bay and Ungava Bay are listed as endangered. Belugas are one of the cetaceans most commonly kept in captivity in aquariums and wildlife parks in North America, Europe and Asia.

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Filename
1402VAN-271.jpg
Copyright
© Tom Dempsey / PhotoSeek.com
Image Size
4300x3014 / 2.5MB
http://www.photoseek.com/
Contained in galleries
2014 Feb 13-17 Vancouver, BC, CANADA, CANADA: Vancouver, British Columbia
The Beluga Whale or White Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean, a member of the family Monodontidae. It is also called the sea canary due to its high-pitched twitter. Photographed in the Vancouver Aquarium, 845 Avison Way, Vancouver, British Columbia, V6G 3E2, CANADA. The Beluga has adapted to life in the Arctic with its white color and lack of a dorsal fin (to avoid bumping surface sea ice). Its distinctive bump at the front of its head contains an echolocation organ called the melon. Most belugas live in the Arctic, seas and coasts around North America, Russia and Greenland. They are migratory and most groups spend the winter around the Arctic ice cap. When the sea ice melts in summer, they move to warmer river estuaries and coastal areas. Whale hunting has been under international control since 1973. Currently, only certain Inuit groups are allowed subsistence-hunting of belugas. The beluga was placed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List in 2008 as being "near threatened". The subpopulation from the Cook Inlet in Alaska is considered Critically Endangered and is under the protection of the United States' Endangered Species Act. Of seven Canadian beluga populations, the two inhabiting eastern Hudson Bay and Ungava Bay are listed as endangered. Belugas are one of the cetaceans most commonly kept in captivity in aquariums and wildlife parks in North America, Europe and Asia.
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