Beluga Whale

             Many populations migrate north in autumn. Those that summer in the Hudson Bay estuaries migrate north into the open bay in winter.
             The Beluga has several unique characteristics in its body make-up. It does not have a dorsal fin. This allows the Beluga to swim under ice caps. It also can turn its neck. The seven neck vertebrae are not fused. This allows them greater mobility and flexibility.
             The Beluga whale relies in sound production and reception to navigate, communicate, and locate breathing holes and to hunt in the dark. The beluga whale is nicknamed "sea canaries." They are very vocal. Scientist has documented 11 different vocals. These vocals include high-pitched, resonant whistles, squeals, cluck, mews, and bell-like tones. These tones can be heard above water and through a ship's hull. Beluga whales are thought to communicate through facial expressions and physical contact.
             Toothed whales are able to locate and differentiate objects by echolocation. They do this by producing clicking sounds and receiving and interpreting the echo. A Beluga accomplishes this in the following steps: .
             1. Produce directional clicks in rapid sequences call trains.
             2. These clicks pass through the melon. It acts as an acoustical lens to focus these sounds waves into a beam, which then projected forward into the water in front of the whale, .
             3. Sound waves travel a mile/a second, which is faster then traveling through air. .
             4. These waves bounce off objects and return to the whale.
             Beluga whales have a well-developed, acute sense of hearing. The auditory cortex of the brain is highly developed. They can hear sounds in the range of 1.2 to 120 kHz, with a peak sensitivity of about 10 to 75 kHz.
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             Beluga whales feed on bottom dwelling animals such as Octopus, squid, crabs, shrimp, clams, and fish such as herring, smelt and, flounder. Belugas also herd fish when there is a group of them. They swallow their food whole. In a zoo habitat, they eat about 2.