Beluga Whale
· Beluga Whale Habitat
· Beluga Whale Food
· Beluga Whale Behaviour
· Conservation Status
· Beluga Whale Pictures
· Beluga Whale Facts

Beluga Whale Food

Beluga whale food: prey

Fish, squids, octopuses, worms and crustaceans are all examples of Beluga whale food. A majority of their diet is made up by squids and octopuses, but they tend to include a lot of other food items as well. When it comes to fish, salmon, herring and cod seem to be favored. The diet of a Beluga whale will vary depending on several factors, including age, weight, season and geographical location. An adult specimen needs to catch around 25 kg (55 pounds) of Beluga whale food each day.

Beluga whale food: feeding behavior

The Beluga whale use several different hunting techniques to catch they prey. They have been seen herding or chasing fish into a tight group before devouring them. Sometimes they will drive fish up from the deep to shallow parts of the ocean, or swim rapidly through a school of fish; grabbing any fish that comes near.  Beluga whales have a keen sense of hearing and can make use of echolocation; two important traits that make the Beluga whale a skilled hunter.

Beluga whale food is often found near the bottom, and when stomach content from Beluga whales have been examined marine biologists have found plenty of mud and stones. Beluga whales also ingest quite a lot of algae.

Beluga whales will usually travel in big groups, but when it is time to find some Beluga whale food they tend to spread out. Female Beluga whales that hunt together with their calves will normally prefer calm and shallow waters. Adult Beluga whales without calves often dive really deep in search of food, preferably down into areas where there is an upwelling and plenty of food.

Beluga whale food: calves

Beluga whale calves drink milk for up to two years. When they start catching their own prey, they will typically go for sedentary and less mobile animals, such a benthic organism.