Beluga Whale: a two-minute wildlife lesson

Whale Week · day 4 of 7

Five facts

1. Belugas can turn their heads sideways without turning their bodies, because their seven neck bones are not fused together.
2. Fat makes up 40 to 50 % of a beluga's weight. Its blubber, up to 15 cm thick, keeps it warm in water as cold as 0 °C.
3. Belugas can live 70-80 years. The oldest known beluga reached 79 years.
4. Belugas usually live in groups of about ten. In summer, hundreds or even thousands can gather in river estuaries.
5. A 2017 genome project found that belugas share 97.87 % of their DNA sequence with killer whales.

The quiz

1. Why can belugas turn their heads sideways?

• They have extra-long necks
• Their skulls are hinged
• Their neck vertebrae are not fused (correct)
• Their blubber is very soft

Their seven neck vertebrae are not fused together.

2. How much of a beluga's weight is fat?

• 40 to 50 % (correct)
• About 10 %
• About 25 %
• Over 90 %

Fat makes up 40 to 50 % of a beluga's weight.

3. How old was the oldest known beluga?

• 30 years
• 45 years
• 120 years
• 79 years (correct)

The oldest known beluga reached 79 years.

4. How big is a typical beluga group?

• About a hundred
• About ten (correct)
• About 500
• Always just one

Belugas usually live in groups of about ten.

5. How much of their DNA do belugas share with killer whales?

• 50 %
• 75.5 %
• 97.87 % (correct)
• 12.4 %

Belugas share 97.87 % of their DNA sequence with killer whales.

More about the Beluga Whale

Same week

All lessons

Nature documentaries