Cook Inlet Beluga Whale
Delphinapterus leucas
The Cook Inlet beluga whale is a small, isolated subspecies of the beluga whale. Adult beluga whales are easily distinguished by their pure white skin, their small size and their lack of dorsal fin. The beluga has a broad and rounded head and a large forehead. Belugas are toothed whales. They have broad, paddle-like flippers and notched tails.
Beluga whales exhibit a wide range of vocalizations including clicks, squeaks, whistles, squarks and a bell-like clang.
Length 15 feet (males); up to 14 feet (females)
Weight Adult males 3000
lbs.; females 2000 lbs
Lifespan 30+ years
Diet
Whatever fish species are most common including salmon, eulachon, tomcod, smelt, char, rainbow sole, whitefish, saffron cod and arctic cod, herring, shrimp, mussels and octopus.
Population
Just over 300 animals in Cook Inlet, Alaska.
Range
This subspecies is found only in Alaska’s Cook Inlet. Globally, belugas are found mostly in Arctic and sub arctic waters, as well as in the Cook Inlet and the St. Lawrence River.
Behavior
Belugas forage for food on the seabed. This typically takes place at depths of up to 1,000 feet, but they can dive to at least twice this depth. Belugas congregate and travel in groups from 2-3 to as many as several hundred. Some are migratory within their limited range while others remain residents of a particular area. They are found close to shore or in the open sea. During the summer months in some areas they gather in the estuaries of rivers to feed and calve.
Reproduction
Mating Season Late winter-early spring
Gestation 15
months
Number of offspring 1 calf
Young Belugas are uniformly dark grey in
colour. The grey steadily lightens as they grow up - reaching their distinctive
pure white colour by the age of seven for females and nine for males. Calves
nurse for about two years.
Threats
Unregulated hunting has been in the main cause of their decline. Despite stringent hunting controls implemented in 1998, the Cook Inlet beluga whale population has not rebounded as expected.
Because beluga congregate in river estuaries, human caused pollution is proving to be another significant danger to their health. Other threats include strandings, disease, contaminants, shipping vessel traffic, noise (including seismic testing), prey declines, predators (such as the killer whale) and human-induced habitat changes.
Legal Status/Protection
On April 19, 2007, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) proposed to list the Cook Inlet beluga whale as endangered under the Endangered Species Act*. However, on April 21, 2008, NMFS gave itself another six months to issue a final decision. Defenders and other conservation groups oppose this delay in providing further protections for the struggling Cook Inlet beluga population. Press release.
In April, 2006, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, (IUCN) added the Cook Inlet beluga to its “Red List, “classifying it as “critically endangered.” In May 2000 NMFS listed the Cook Inlet beluga whale as depleted under the Marine Mammal Protection Act**.
* The Endangered Species Act requires the US federal government to identify species threatened with extinction, identify habitat they need to survive, and help protect both. In doing so, the Act works to ensure the basic health of our natural ecosystems and protect the legacy of conservation we leave to our children and grandchildren.
** The Marine Mammal Protection Act prohibits, with certain exceptions, the take of marine mammals in U.S. waters and by U.S. citizens on the high seas, and the importation of marine mammals and marine mammal products into the U.S.
How You Can Help
- Help belugas and other wildlife by adopting a beluga at our Wildlife Adoption Center.
- Take Action for Wildlife at our Wildlife Action Center.
For additional information
Imperiled Species: Cook Inlet Beluga WhaleAlaska Center for the Environment
Cook Inletkeeper Watershed Watch
National Marine Fisheries Service
Trustees for Alaska
Save the Beluga
