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Beluga Whale Behaviour
Beluga Whale Breeding
Biology
Female belugas first breed at 4
to 7 years of age and males at 7 to 9 years. Mating occurs in
spring. Following a 14 month gestation period, females give
birth to a single calf. Beluga
whales are born a gray-blue colour, weigh about 100 kg and are
about 1.5 meters long (Wilson and Ruff 1999). Calves nurse for
at least a year. Females give birth about every three years.
The white colouring gradually arises at about 5 or 6 years of
age. Males are slightly larger than females.
Beluga Whale Feeding Behaviour
Beluga whales eat crabs and
fish including salmon, capelin, herring, shrimp, and
flounders. They forage in deep water and long the bottom. They
are especially fond of river estuaries in summer perhaps to
molt (Wilson and Ruff 1999).
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