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Animal profile

Beluga Whale

Delphinapterus leucas

MammaliaArctic and subarctic coastal waters, estuaries and ice edgesLeast Concern

Field profile

The beluga is a white, dorsal-finless toothed whale of Arctic and subarctic waters, reaching about four to five metres. It gathers in estuaries in summer, where thousands may moult by rubbing on gravel. Its vocal range earned it the old whalers' name of sea canary.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2026-02-16

Beluga Whale

Belugas can turn their heads to the side

Almost every whale and dolphin has a rigid neck, with the first vertebrae fused into a single block. The beluga does not, and the loose joints let it nod and swivel its head in a way no dolphin can manage.

Read with evidence →

Beluga Whale | Daily Animal Facts