White Whale

white whale: see beluga.

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beluga

 or white whale

Beluga, or white whale (Delphinapterus leucas).

(credit: E.R. Degginger/EB Inc.)

Species (Delphinapterus leucas) of whale found in the Arctic Ocean and adjacent seas, in both deep offshore and coastal waters. It may also enter rivers that empty into far northern seas. A toothed whale with a rounded forehead and no dorsal fin, the beluga is about 13 ft (4 m) long. Born dark blue-gray or blackish, it fades to white or cream at 4–5 years of age. It feeds on fish, cephalopods, and crustaceans and usually lives in groups of five to 10. It has been hunted commercially for its oil, hide, and flesh, and is used in the Arctic as food for humans and dogs.

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White Whale 

(Delphinapterus leucas), also called beluga, a mammal of the dolphin family, suborder of toothed whales. The white whale’s body is up to 6 m long and weighs up to 1.5 tons. Mature beluga whales are white (hence the name). They are found in polar regions and live in the arctic seas, even where there is ice. The skin of the whale has a layer of loose epidermis up to 2 cm thick. White whales feed on fish (capelin, cod, salmon, herring, and many others). In pursuit of fish they often enter large rivers (the ob’, Enisei, Lena, Amur, and others). They sometimes go 2,000 km and more upstream in the Amur River. They live in schools (from a few dozen to thousands of head). White whales make regular seasonal migrations. The female gives birth to a single calf 140–160 cm long. The color of the white whale changes sharply with age. The newborn whales are dark blue to blue; later, the whale turns gray or light gray (blue). Only the adult whales are white. They reach sexual maturity in two to three years. An industry is based on the white whale (skin and fat).

REFERENCES

Tomilin, A. G. Kitoobraznye: Zveri SSSR i prilezhashchikh stran, vol. 9. Moscow, 1957.
Belukha. Moscow, 1964.