I read about these amazing creatures in a diving magazine and, while it is highly unlikely we will come across them in the Pacific, I felt the need to share my discovery.
I’d heard of Beluga whales before but had never seen pictures – they are literally snow white, like icebergs with fins. They are utterly beautiful with the most expressive faces – and they are also sadly declining in numbers.
These gorgeous beasties live in all Arctic seas and neighbouring territories – babies are born brown, their skin darkens to black and then turns white as they become adults. The melanin levels in their skin drop as they grow and elderly Beluga’s are a yellowish colour.
They can hoon about at 22km/h but their cruising speed is 2-5km/h
They are clever and curious and have their own women’s groups, kindergartens and midwives and the males are very civilised when it comes to vying for a lady’s affections.
In short, they are fascinating.
Sadly unlimited fishing, ocean pollution and industrial waste has slashed their numbers – causing illness in adults and mutations in babies.
They interact well with humans and apparently a number are thriving in captivity, but as far as I am concerned they belong in the wild and we need to stop crapping in their backyard – end rant.
I filched the above picture from a Nature’s Crusaders blog and am thoroughly supportive of any efforts to protect their habitat.
Stay tuned for next week’s amazing critter (I’ll try to pick something a little closer to where we are heading next time!)