BELUGA
By: Christopher A. Legaspi
Appearance: Belugas can grow up to 13 to 20 feet long. Male belugas can grow up to 3,500 pounds! When belugas are born their color is dark blue-gray in color. Belugas turn white when they're 6 years old. Male belugas are 11-15 feet long and weigh 1,000 to 2,000 pounds! A Belugas small and dark eyes are located behind the corners of the mouth and the ears are behind the eyes. When an adult beluga is born its color is yellowish-creamy white.
Habitat: Belugas live in lots of places like these places: Sea of Okhost, Bering Sea, the Gulf of Alaska, Beafort Sea, Baffin Bay, Hudson Bay and the Gulf of St. Lawrence. During certain times of the year belugas can be found in large rivers such as the Amur River of Russia and the Yukon River in Alaska. They're found 1,240 miles up the Amur River and 600 miles up the Yukon River. During the summer months most belugas live in the icy waters of the Arctic and subarctic where tempertuers may be as low as 0-C(32-F). Belugas are generally found in shallow coastal waters and often in water barely deep enough to cover their body. They may also swim in deeper water. In the summer many populations are found in warm-water estuaries and river basins.
Food: Belugas eat only four things!! They eat fish, shrimp, lobsters and Crabs!!! The beluga's mouth taste food like we do. Belugas eat about a 100 different kinds of animals that live at the bottom of the sea. Belugas eat the size of your whole body every day.
Enemies:The belugas only have three enemies!!! The beluga's enemies are the Polar Bears, Killer Whales, Humans.!!! Humans hunt belugas because they eat their blubber and for the oil! Polar bears and Killer whales eat the beluga's meat!
Life Cycle:Belugas can live up to 40 years and they can only have a baby every 3 years! Calves are born in May to July but only when they're in big groups. When the beluga is born the tail comes out first. After the beluga is totally out of his mothers stomach the baby is guided up to the surface closely by its mother and father and brother or sister if it has one. The moms feed their baby for only 2 years.
Other Facts:A beluga can hold it's breath under water for 15minutes. Belugas are the most polluted mammal on earth because of pollution and very poisonos chemicals! Belugas are slow swimmers in general. They usually swim about 3 to 9 kph.. Belugas can swim backwards! Native Hunters are only allowed to catch a certain number of Belugas. Belugas don't chew they swallow the food whole. Belugas dive up to 20 meters. When a beluga dives its heart beats from about 12 to 20 beats per minute a dive. Belugas communicate the same way bats do!