betheirvoiceseathechange: Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) Fast Facts! Type: Mammal Diet: Carniv
betheirvoiceseathechange: Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) Fast Facts! Type: Mammal Diet: Carnivore Average life span in the wild: 35 to 50 years Size: 13 to 20 ft (4 to 6.1 m) Weight: 2,000 to 3,000 pounds (907 to 1,361 kilograms) Group name: Pod Protection status: Threatened Did you know? Unlike most other whales, the beluga has a flexible neck that enables it to turn its head in all directions. These whales are common in the Arctic Ocean’s coastal waters, though they are found in subarctic waters as well. Arctic belugas migrate southward in large herds when the sea freezes over. Animals trapped by Arctic ice often die, and they are prey for polar bears, killer whales, and for Arctic people. They are hunted by indigenous people of the north, and by commercial fisheries that brought some populations, such as those in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to near collapse. Beluga feed on fish, crustaceans, and worms. The whale is related to the tusked “unicorn” whale known as the narwhal. {x} -- source link