An Arctic whale that becomes white as it matures. It has a rounded forehead and no dorsal fin.
Newborn calves are dark gray. Their skin becomes lighter as they grow.
Beluga calves are dark grey and become pale as they mature. Unfused neck vertebrae allow head movement. Satellite tags have followed animals from a river delta into bays and ice-covered seas, documenting different routes among individuals tagged in the same area.
Ten eastern Beaufort Sea belugas—seven males and three females—were satellite-tagged in the Mackenzie Delta from 26 July to 1 August 1997. Eight moved east to Amundsen Gulf after a few days and made a clockwise circuit over 6–16 days; another female moved north into pack ice. Autumn tracks reached the western Chukchi Sea, and one male crossed Bering Strait on 27 November.
US Endangered Species Act (ESA) · Endangered · Cook Inlet population, Alaska
Underwater noise, contamination and habitat change are threats. The Cook Inlet population in Alaska is listed as endangered under US law.