Life Cycle of a Beluga Whale by Julianne Z.

LIFE CYCLE OF A BELUGA WHALE

Stages of a Beluga Whale's Life Cycle How a Beluga Whale Survives Fun Facts About Beluga Whales

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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Stage One: Calf

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Stage Two: Adolescent Beluga

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Stage Three: Adult Beluga

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How A Beluga Whale Survives

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Fun Facts

STAGE ONE: CALF The first stage of a beluga whale's life cycle is called baby beluga. A mom beluga has one baby at a time. A baby beluga can also be called a calf.

Calves stay with their mothers for two years. Calves are born near the surface of the water and are dark gray in color.

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STAGE TWO: ADOLESCENT BELUGA Young whales must learn from their mothers how to catch food. When they are three years old, they go out to a pod. A pod is a group of whales.

Female whales will begin to explore outside their pod but stick close to their mom. Male whales will stay close with other fellow males in their pod and hang out.

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STAGE THREE: ADULT BELUGA A female Beluga whale becomes mature around 5-7 years of age. A male Beluga whale will mature a little later around 8-9 years of age. .After maturity, the Beluga whale starts to develop their white skin but it doesn’t turn fully white until the Beluga whale is about 13 years old.

Beluga whales can live up to 35-50 years.

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HOW THEY EAT Beluga whales eat fish, worms, and other sea creatures. They also eat octopus, squid, crabs, shrimp, clams, snails, and sandworms.

WHAT BELUGAS NEED Beluga

whales

need

to

be

in

the

right

environment to survive. They are only found in the Northern Hemisphere and live in cold waters of the Arctic Ocean and subarctic regions where sharks are less likely to be found.

HOW A BELUGA PROTECTS ITSELF There are 3 methods that Beluga whales use to avoid running into predators. First, the Beluga whale uses camouflage to avoid predators. It is completely white so it blends perfectly to the ice floes of its natural habitat. Second, Beluga whales can live comfortably in much warmer climates, but by living in the Arctic waters, where sharks are few and far between, they decrease the chances of running into sharks. Third, Beluga whales swim together in very large pods so that they can deter lone predators.

WHERE BELUGA WHALES LIVE Beluga whales live in the cold waters of the Arctic Ocean and subarctic regions.

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Fun Facts

Belugas do not have dorsal fins (a dorsal fin causes extra heat loss) and would be a major problem in the Arctic ice) so they can swim with ice.

Beluga whales are also known as sea canaries!

The Beluga is closely related to the narwhal.

The Belugas are one of the most

They also have a thick layer of blubber that helps them stay warm in the icy Arctic waters.

vocal whales!

Beluga whales are toothed whales but never chew their food!

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