BELUGA WHALE

About: 

• Scientific Name: Delphinapterus leucas. 
  
  
• Common names: Beluga Whale. 
  • Belugas can produce a series of chirps, clicks, whistles and squeals, which give the beluga its other name, "the canary of the sea." 
    
    
  • Belugas are also called white whales, and their unusual colour makes them one of the most familiar and easily distinguishable of all the whales. 
    
    
  
  
  
• Features: They can grow up to 6 m long, and are related to dolphins. 
  
  
• Distribution: 
  • These whales are common in the Arctic Ocean's coastal waters around Greenland, Norway and Russia, though they are found in subarctic waters as well. 
    
    
  • Arctic belugas migrate southward in large herds when the sea freezes over. 
    
    
  • They can also be found near river mouths, and sometimes even venture up river. 
    
    
  
  
  
• IUCN Red List Status: Near Threatened. 
  
  
• Population: over 1,50,000.