There are several different types of whales. The best known classes are baleen and toothed. Belugas are toothed whales. They are capable of producing many different sounds.

Beluga Whales use sound to find food and communicate with other animals in the ocean. They are capable of making high-pitched sounds, trills, whistles and squeals, and what sounds like chirping, just to name a few.

The different sounds are used for varying purposes including hunting prey, echolocation, navigation, and communicating with other whales.

By using the sounds they utter for echolocation, beluga whales can figure out important details of their target including size, shape, distance and even how fast they are traveling.

Beluga whales are great at living in ice-filled waters. They have an ability to find little cracks in the ice where they can surface to breathe.

All toothed whales have what is called a “melon.” This organ helps them interpret the sound waves that are produced with their echolocation efforts. The melon is made of fatty tissue and looks like a big forehead to us. However, it is really part of the whales’ nose. It works in combination with the sinus and jaw and is a major component in the success of the species.

Some More Facts On Beluga Whales

What makes these white whales so interesting is their ability to change the shape of their melon. The way this is accomplished is by the passing of air around their sinuses.

From an anatomical view, belugas are somewhat different as well. The vertebrae in their neck aren’t fused like other toothed whales. Because of this, the whales can turn their head in a lateral or side-to-side motion.

Combine this feature with the ability to morph the shape of their melon, and you get some really interesting expressions. You can look at a beluga whale one moment and the next they look quite like a different animal.

In addition to the facial expressions, another striking characteristic of this amazing species is their white color. Because of this color, the beluga is also known as the white whale. If you see a white beluga you can be sure it is an adult. This is because when the whale is young it is gray. As it matures it turns white or whitish gray.

Belugas are smaller than some other whale species. A male can grow to be 18 feet long and a female can grow to be 13 feet long. Because they are so interesting and relatively small, some aquariums have beluga whales at their facility.

If you ever have the chance to experience beluga whale behavior first hand, I highly recommend it.

In fact, I recently visited the beluga whales a the Atlanta Aquarium. Take a look at the pictures posted and read more Facts On Beluga Whales at Beach Family Vacation, a family friendly vacation site.