Cook Inlet Beluga Whale-final

Cook Inlet Beluga Whale Cook Inlet Beluga Whales are looks like this. They’re mostly live in Arctic waters, Cook Inlet and the Lawrence River. Males are usually 15feets, and females are 14feets.Adult males are 3000 pounds and females are 2000 pounds. Their lifespan is 30 or 30 years plus. Adult beluga whales are easily distinguished by their pure white skin, their small size and their lack of dorsal fin. The bleuga has a broad and rounded head and a large forehead. Belugas are toothed whales. They have broad,paddle-like flippers and notched tails. The cook inlet beluga whale is a small, isolated subspecies of the beluga whale currently facing critical threats. Their mathing season is late winter to early spring and gestation is 15months. Number of offspring is 1 calf. Young Belugas are uniformly dark grey in color. The grey steadily lightens as they grow up. Young belugas are reaching their distinctive pure white color by the age of seven for females and nine for males. Calves nurse for about two years.

Beluga whales eat whatever fish species are most common including salmon, eulachon, tomcod, smelt, char, rainbow sole, white fish, saffron cod and arctic cod, herring, mussels and octopus. Belugas forage for food on the seabed. This typically takes place at depths of up to 1000 feet, but they can dive to at least twice this depth. Belugas congregate and teavel in groups from 2-3 to as many as several hundred. Some are moving with

their limited range while others remain residents of a particular area. They are found close to shore or in the open sea.

The global population of belugas are aroung 100,000 but the Cook Inlet population consists of just over 300 animals. Unregulated hunting has been in the main cause of make belugas endangered animal. Despite stringent hunting controls implemented in 1998, the Cook Inlet beluga whale population hasn’t rebounded as expected because beluga congreate in river estuanries, human caused pollution is proving to be another significant danger to their health. Other threats include strandings, disease, contaminants, shipping vessel traffic, noise (including seismic testing), prey declines, predators (such as the killer whale) and human-induced habitat changes.

Legal Status andProtection -In October 17th 2008, Cook Inlet beluga whales were thrown a life line by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), who announced that Cook Inlet beluga whales will receive protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). -IUCN Red List: In April, 2006, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, (IUCN) added the Cook Inlet beluga to its Red List, classifying it as critically endangered. The IUCN says that "The beluga whale is unquestionably a conservation-dependent species." -CITES: Beluga whales are listed in CITES Appendix II. -In May 2000 NMFS listed the Cook Inlet beluga whale as a depleted species under the Marine Mammal

Protection Act. - Defenders of Wildlife members were included in over 180,000 comments from concerned Americans the most public comments that it has received for any prior proposed action, the National Marine Fisheries Service reported.

Did you know? -Beluga whales exhibit a wide range of vocalizations including clicks, whistles, squarks and a bell-like clang. - Long ago, scientists and sailors gave beluga whales the nickname "sea canaries," because of the birdlike sounds th ese whales make.

How can we help? -Help belugas and other wildlife by adopting a beluga at Wildlife Adoption Center. -Take Action for Wildlife at Wildlife Action Center. They’re looking for volunteers who live in Alasca for the Coastal Beluga Survey.