The beluga, or white whale, is one of the smallest species of whale. Belugas are also called white whales, and their unusual color makes them one of the most familiar and easily distinguishable of all the whales. Calves are born gray or even brown and only fade to white as they become sexually mature around five years of age.
White whales are smallish, ranging from 13 to 20 feet (4 to 6.1 meters) in length. They have rounded foreheads and no dorsal fin.
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Unlike most other whales, the beluga has a flexible neck that enables it to turn its head in all directions.
Belugas generally live together in small groups known as pods. They are social animals and very vocal communicators that employ a diversified language of clicks, whistles, and clangs. Belugas can also mimic a variety of other sounds.
These whales are common in the Arctic Ocean's coastal waters, though they are found in subarctic waters as well. Arctic belugas migrate southward in large herds when the sea freezes over. Animals trapped by Arctic ice often die, and they are prey for polar bears, killer whales, and for Arctic people. They are hunted by indigenous people of the north, and by commercial fisheries that brought some populations, such as those in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, to near collapse.
Beluga feed on fish, crustaceans, and worms. The whale is related to the tusked "unicorn" whale known as the narwhal. The beluga is not related to the sturgeon of the same name, which has been heavily fished for its famous caviar.
It's like no fish this beluga whale has ever seen before.
Deep in the Arctic ocean, daylight obscured by layers of ice and snow, the majestic animal has just come face to face with a scuba diver.
In the midst of the freezing waters of northern Russia's White Sea, the belugas seem fascinated by the humans - and vice-versa.
The encounter is taking place at a special whale sanctuary designed and built by marine biologists from St Petersburg University.
The 'natural farm' acts as a nursery for breeding whales, as well as acting as a rehabilitation centre for former performing animals before they are set into the wild.
The natural bay under the ice means that the whales are protected from the strong currents of the wider ocean and left to breed in peace, while also leaving them free to roam as they wish.
These wild whales are not endangered, but are considered to be threatened by pollution and loss of habitat.
Occasionally, guests at the local Arctic Circle Dive Centre can swim with the friendly giants, and get close enough to touch.
Arctic diver and photographer, Franco Banfi, 58, who captured these shots said: 'When a whale comes up to us and swims by, it looks you right in the eyes. Obviously we don't know what they think, but they are very curious creatures.
Sometimes, I'm sure they're trying to figure out what we are and where we came from.
'As photographer, I've always been driven to bring photographs of animals one hardly ever sees to a printed page.'
But while the beluga, or white whale, is built for these harsh surroundings, the diving team face extremely tough conditions to get close to the gentle creatures.
Before each dive the team have to create holes in the three-foot-deep ice using a hand saw, just to get through to the sea below.
Once they're in they have to swim around in heavy layers of clothes to keep alive in the -10C waters
And it's definitely a case of choosing the short straw for one volunteer who gets to stay above ground in -30C winds, making sure the ice hole doesn't freeze over and trap the group.
'Photographing a story in very cold water can turn into a logistical nightmare,' admits Franco.
'But, if we are well trained, the underwater part of things is not really as harsh as you might think.'
'When we come out on land, temperatures can get down to -10C or -20C and things will instantly freeze, so we can barely move.
'Cold itself will not hurt the equipment, but it may slow down some of its functions as well as our own.
Because of the ice-layer and snow cover, there is not sufficient light to shoot with ambient light and batteries lose their charge more quickly in cold weather.'
Franco added that he was keen to show the beauty of the undersea world to those who can't face the icy deep themselves.
'As photographer, I've always been driven to bring photographs of animals one hardly ever sees to a printed page,' he said.
'I want to see these amazing animals in a way that only a few people have seen and I want to share it with others.'
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