page_title: Beluga whale
section_title: Hunting
hierarchical_section_title: Beluga whale / Threats / Hunting
caption_attribution_description: English: Natives harpooning the beluga, or white whale, at Cook's Inlet, Alaska Drawing by H. W. Elliott, 1883 Español: Nativos arponeando una beluga o ballena blanca en la ensenada de Cook, Alaska, dibujado por H. W. Elliott, 1883
context_page_description: The beluga whale is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. It is also known as the white whale, as it is the only cetacean of this colour; the sea canary, due to its high-pitched calls; and the melonhead, though that more commonly refers to the melon-headed whale, which is an oceanic dolphin.
  The beluga is adapted to life in the Arctic, so it has anatomical and physiological characteristics that differentiate it from other cetaceans. Amongst these are its all-white colour and the absence of a dorsal fin, which allows it to swim under ice with ease. It possesses a distinctive protuberance at the front of its head which houses an echolocation organ called the melon, which in this species is large and deformable. The beluga's body size is between that of a dolphin and a true whale, with males growing up to 5.5 m long and weighing up to 1,600 kg. This whale has a stocky body. Like many cetaceans, a large percentage of its weight is blubber.
context_section_description: The native populations of the Arctic in Alaska, Canada, Greenland and Russia hunt belugas, for both consumption and profit. Belugas have been easy prey for hunters due to their predictable migration patterns and the high population density in estuaries and surrounding coastal areas during the summer.
caption: Illustration from 1883 showing Dena'ina hunting party harpooning a beluga in Cook Inlet, Alaska
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