Beluga Whale or White Whale (Delphinapterus leucas)

Beluga whale or White Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) – a big mammal of the cetacean family Delphinidae, suborder Odontoceti (toothed whale), which is sometimes called “a polar dolphin.” Its body length reaches 6 m and weighs 1.5 tons. The color of an adult B. is white which explains the name. It is spread in the circumpolar regions inhabiting the Arctic and adjacent seas. Within the Arctic sea region, there are two subspecies: the Kara B. and the Pacific Ocean B. It is well adapted to life among the ice. Its skin is completely devoid of hair but is protected by a thick (up to 2 cm) layer of epidermis. On the head, there is a thick fatty “pad” which allows the animal to wedge away or break the light ice. B. eats fish (capelin, polar cod, salmon fishes, herrings, etc.), shellfishes, and mussels. Hunting for fish it enters big rivers (the Ob, Yenisei, Lena, Amur, etc.), sometimes going 1,000 km and more up the stream, with lives in stocks having the population ranging from several dozens...