If you’ve heard Raffi’s song, “Baby Beluga,” you know that Beluga whales are playful and smart. These white whales have mouths that seem to turn up in a smile.
Fun Facts
- Beluga whales are gray or brown when they are born, but turn white, as they get older.
- They are smaller than most whales, growing 13 to 20 feet and weighing around 2,000 to 2,500 pounds.
- They live for 35 to 50 years in the wild.
- Beluga whales live in pods, or groups, in arctic waters. They move south in the winter as the water turns to ice. Sometimes whales are stuck in the freezing ice. When this happens, polar bears or hunters might kill them.
- Beluga whales are very social. They use clicks, trills, chirps, and calls to communicate with other whales. Their sounds are very musical and they are sometimes known as the “canaries of the sea.”
- Beluga whales eat fish, shrimp, mollusks, and worms.
- They are related to narwhals.
Vocabulary
- Pod: a family or community
- Social: enjoys being with others
Questions and Answers
Question: How many beluga whales live in a pod?
Answer: Pod size varies from 10 to 20 whales to as many as 200 whales.
Learn More
Listen to a beluga whale concert.
Internal Links
Facts About Whales for Kids Video
Whales – The Toothed and Baleen Whales
Filming Polar Bears Video for Kids
