Beluga whale

Delphinapterus leucas · Monodontidae

The beluga whale or the white whale is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two living members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. It is also known as the sea canary, due to its high-pitched calls; and the melonhead, though that more commonly refers to the melon-headed whale, which is an oceanic dolphin.

Where the Beluga whale lives

Recorded in United States of America, Canada, Netherlands and Norway (North America and Europe).

Most records fall in Alaska, Finnmark, Québec and Nunavut.

See the Beluga whale’s range on the globe

Conservation status

Least concern (LC). Not at risk: it is doing well in the wild. Categories are the IUCN Red List as republished by GBIF.

Sources

The range is a density of 9,624 georeferenced GBIF records, not an expert-drawn map. Description from Wikipedia.