Two male #beluga at the #sheddaquarium play with a rubber ring #enrichment item. They spent easily half an hour dragging around their pool, balancing it on their rostrums and diving through it. In the first photo, you can see how flexible their necks are; the cervical vertebrae in #belugawhales are not fused (unlike most #cetaceans ) which is likely an adaptation that helps them maneuver under ice. #whales #belugawhale #adaptation #animaladaptations #environmentalenrichment (at Shedd Aquarium) https://www.instagram.com/p/BnHg9FUAoHW/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=1q88bdzu3oldl
Do they not have skulls!? Why is it mushy there!?!? @bunjywunjy
well of course beluga has a skull!! that’s just not where it is.
see, you wouldn’t necessarily pick up on this, but beluga skulls (and most cetacean skulls in general) are pretty much
flat…
so what’s going on up there? well, most of the beluga’s head is taken up by soft tissue and a large organ called the melon, which is basically a big ol waterballoon of semiliquid fat!
(boob. it’s a head boob.)
this organ is found in every toothed whale and dolphin species on the planet and it’s INCREDIBLY important, because the melon is what lets them echolocate!
the actual sound-producing organ is inside their nasal passage of all places, which sits up behind there, but the melon is what’s actually used to fine-tune the soundwaves into the laser-accurate pinpoints that dolphins and toothed whales are so famous for.
tldr: without their head boob, belugas and their relatives would be literally flying blind!
does slapping the melon like that hurt it ? like does it affect how it works or anything
@weirdgirlwambsgans@vampire-juicebox you guys are in luck bc it does not! Belugas will squish their melons voluntarily against things like rocks and glass. Think of it like when you squish your butt (but at the same time not, bc they have no nerve endings beyond the skin) they even voluntarily let humans play with it!
This is a strong creature, if that hurt or bothered it, you would know
MICROPLASTICS IN THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACTS OF ALL BELUGA EXAMINED FROM ARCTIC WATERS
According to a recent published study in Marine Pollution Bulletin, researchers worked with community-based monitors and Inuvialuit hunters from Tuktoyaktuk (Northwest Territories, Canada) to sample seven beluga whales in 2017 and 2018.Microplasticswere detected in the gastrointestinal tracts in every individual beluga whale, with each whale having an average of nearly 97 particles, but some of them had 147 particles.
Microplastics are plastic fragments, regularly smaller than 5 mm in size, and represent an emerging global environmental concern, as they have been detected in multiple aquatic species. However, very little is known about the presence of microplastics in higher trophic species, including cetaceans.
-Examples of microplastic particles observed within beluga gastrointestinal tracts (left: polystyrene fragment; right: polyester fibre) Bar is 0.02 cm.
Researchers do not know how microplastics enter whales, but they believe is because whales feed on fish, which have already ingested plastic.
Every year after the ice breaks up on the Hudson Bay, thousands of beluga whales migrate to the warmer waters of the Churchill River to feed, mate and rear their young.
We’re excited to say, on our newest Pearl of the Planet HD live cam, you can watch these curious creatures up close and in the wild. Thanks to our partners at Sea North Tours and Polar Bears International, the new Beluga Boat Cam provides views underwater and off the bow.
Join Neil, our trusty tour guide every day for a couple of hours as he finds the most amazing vantage points. The next voyage out is today from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT. And upcoming viewing times will be posted at the top of the comments.
Catch a great moment? Keep taking snapshots like these and sharing them for all to enjoy.
I uploaded this on my Patreon some days ago and thought I’d try to update here every once in a while as well, but then I remembered the whole nudity filter fiasco, my blog being deleted, and all that. Wasn’t really feeling it afterwards.
This has to be one of my favourites from the whole month! I love whales and I wanted this painting to evoke the feelings of wonder and happiness I feel towards these amazing creatures!
![[marine] bio studyblr](https://64.media.tumblr.com/avatar_6b8d8b41243d_30.gif){kind=avatar}
