Beluga Whale by danapommet
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No AI - This artwork was created entirely by hand or with traditional digital tools.
Description
This photo was taken, about 10 years ago, at the Georgia Aquarium, USA, with my old Minolta camera. Not my best photo but a rare sight being eye to eye. S/he was as curious of me as I was of him/her. The vertical line is a seam in the aquarium glass.
Wikipedia says - The beluga whale or white whale is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is in the same family as the narwhal. It has no dorsal fin. The beluga's body size is between that of a dolphin's and a true whales, with males growing up to 18 feet (5.5 meters) long and weighing up to 3,500 pounds (1,600 kg). This whale has a stocky body; it has the greatest percentage of blubber in the whale world. Its sense of hearing is highly developed and it possesses echolocation, which allows it to move about the ice flows and find blowholes under the ice. During the summer months, they can gather in the hundreds or even thousands in estuaries and shallow coastal areas. They are slow swimmers, but can dive down to 2,300 feet (700 meters) below the surface of the water. They mainly eat fish, crustaceans and other deep-sea invertebrates.
The majority of belugas live in the Arctic and the seas and coasts around North America, Russia and Greenland; their worldwide population is thought to number around 150,000. The native peoples of North America and Russia have hunted belugas for many centuries. They were also hunted commercially during the 19th century and part of the 20th century. Whale hunting has been under international control since 1973. Currently, only certain Inuit groups are allowed to carry out subsistence hunting of belugas. Other threats include natural predators (polar bears and killer whales), contamination of rivers, and infectious diseases. Zoom is very grainy.
Thanks for stopping by, taking a look and for all your previous favs and comments. They are very much appreciated.
Dana

Comments (25)
Wowser!!!
Very well taken and beautiful animal !!
A great find and capture, Dana! Is an impressive whale!
It is look directly at you! The curved fin is interesting and the information is great. An amazing creature - great image Dana!!!
Amazing sight! I have reservations about such large creatures being captive, but I expect there is a good reason.
What a fantastic encounter and the size is not evident in this shot Dana.
nice pic interesting info
Great shot Dana nice to be able to get so close.
A very beautiful capture, but it is a shame that such an animal is living in an aquarium. Très belle photo, mais c'est dommage qu'un tel animal doive vivre dans un aquarium.
Great capture!
Superbe photo mon ami et superbe animal également !!!
jolie
nicely captured shot of this beautiful whale, Dana. thanks for the share..
Awesome! I would love to see one of these someday. Impressed that you still have access to shots from 10 years ago.
A lovely capture, of this beautiful whale. xx
It's sad for this whale to be in an aquarium.....but the visitors enjoy to look at her, excellent capture, Dana !
Very nice capture!!!
wonderful shot
Marvelous capture, love it and she sure does look just as curious, lol...:))))
very beautiful creature and capture
She looks quite curious!
Beautiful and sweet animal. It's pity that they must live often in zoo Have a good day!
Fantastic and interesting shot. That you don't see everyday.
Real fascinating creature. Lovely aquarium shot as well with the surreal blue ambience. Somehow I want to imagine the whale's a grand dame plus pole dancer posing next to a metal pole, and poised to sing the famous song from 'Carmen'. Me and my imagination... :D
wow! what a stunning and impressive capture! fascinating to see that whale like this! thanks for the good info to it! ;o)