Reports
Sunnylea Junior School
The Beluga Whale
| The name of my animal is the Beluga whale. Its
scientific name is the delphinapterus leucas. The family it belongs to is marine mammals.
The status of my animal is endangered. The things in my report tell you about the food,
appearance, threats, habitat, and interesting facts. My report will help you learn more
about the beluga whale and show you how to keep it from disappearing from the earth. The beluga is a very big mammal. It can be as long as 5.5 metres and can weigh to a maximum weight of 1.6 tons. It is a medium-sized tooth whale. It has a rounded head. The beluga has a ridge on its back instead of a dorsal fin. Calves are dark brown at birth. The beluga whale lives in different habitats. The beluga is often found at river mouths (such as the Saguenay) where the water has a rich source of food for a beluga. Belugas will inhabit different habitats in different seasons. They will also inhabit cold arctic waters. In winter they are found in inlets while in summer they are found in shallow bays. In Canada it lives in the St. Lawrence. The beluga whale has a large variety of food to feed on. They eat squids, soft shellfish, many species of fish including cod and herring. It also eats shrimp, crab octopus, clams and believe it or not worms and plants. The beluga whale has many threats. Ships and pleasure craft can be a disturbance to belugas. Changes to their habitat is also a problem for belugas. Degradation in water quality because of shipping and industrial activities is a threat. The beluga whale is amazing. First, its head is filled with oil and is called a melon. Second, it can make clicking sounds. Third, a mother beluga uses her beak to bump her baby and make it behave. Although grown belugas are white, babies are grayish-brown. As a game they like to balance a stone on their head. The hole behind the beluga's ear is its ear. Beluga whales had legs long, long ago. By Ena
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Copyright 1997, 2000 - Joan Goble and René de Vries
