Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) spyhopping. When spyhopping, the beluga whale sticks its head out of the water and looks around. Unlike other wha

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Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) spyhopping. When spyhopping, the beluga whale sticks its head out of the water and looks around. Unlike other whales, the beluga's neck vertebrae are not fused, making it the only whale able to rotate its head. This whale, also known as the white whale, is found along the Arctic coasts of Europe and North America. It migrates to shallow fresh-water rivers in the summer to calve and feed. It is a highly social animal that forms groups, or pods, of up to 25 individuals. During migration these pods can merge to number 1000s of individuals. It feeds on crustaceans, fish and worms that it finds on the sea bed. It grows to metres in length. Photographed off the coast of Vancouver.

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Size: 5185px × 3382px
Photo credit: © CHRISTOPHER SWANN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: animal, aquatic, beluga, biological, biology, blowhole, carnivore, carnivorous, curious, delphinapterus, fauna, head, leucas, mammal, marine, nature, nostril, sea, single, social, spyhopping, surface, underwater, vancouver, vocal, whale, white, wildlife, zoological, zoology