© naturepl.com / Doug Allan / WWF
Beluga whale
habitat and migration
Discover more about beluga whale habitats and migration patterns.
Where do beluga whales live?
Beluga whales have adapted to live in the cold waters of the Arctic and sub-Arctic. Like bowhead whales and narwhals, beluga whales are only found in the Arctic. There are 21 beluga whale populations across the Arctic.
Through satellite transmitters, scientists have recorded belugas regularly diving 300–600m deep, often to the sea floor. This allows belugas to use the different features of their ocean habitats, such as finding food or shelter. Beyond the continental shelf, scientists have recorded belugas diving more than 1000 meters for as long as 25 minutes.
But as human activity increases in the Arctic, beluga whales’ habitat is under threat. Human activity has brought the threat of habitat destruction, disturbance and pollution. That’s why it is important to protect the beluga whale’s Arctic habitat – and the Arctic blue corridors that help belugas reach these different habitats.
© David Merron / WWF-US
Do beluga whales migrate?
Some beluga whale populations do not migrate. The beluga whales that live in Svalbard, Norway, for example, live there year-round. These beluga whales tend to focus their foraging efforts close to glaciers and remain in the coastal waters of the Svalbard archipelago.
Of the 21 beluga whale populations in the Arctic, six are considered migratory.
Using satellite data, scientists have found that beluga whales can cover thousands of kilometers in just a few months. They are capable of moving through open water and heavy pack ice while swimming 2.5–6 kilometers per hour.
Belugas are social animals and they tend to return to the same locations year after year and over generations. Researchers have found evidence that mothers pass down migration routes and locations to their calves.
As the ice advances in the autumn, many beluga whales migrate in large groups to their wintering grounds following the sea ice. The ice acts as protection from killer whales and supports a good supply of food.
However, some beluga populations remain within the same region over the winter using polynyas and breaks in the sea ice to breathe. For example, some belugas from a population in the eastern Canadian Arctic overwinter in a polynya that stays open all year, called North Water, near Baffin Bay.
In the winter and spring, belugas mate. As the sea ice thaws, beluga whales follow the melting ice, feeding and socializing in groups of around 10. The spring migration brings them back towards the same summer grounds as the year before. These ice-free coastal waters, river estuaries and lagoons offer an optimal place to give birth, nurse, protect calves from killer whales, moult and feed.
During the summer, beluga whales gather in the hundreds or thousands in warm river estuaries, lagoons and shallow coastal waters. Sometimes, beluga whales even venture up river. For example, one beluga whale was seen 1000 km inland in the Yukon River in Alaska.
To learn even more about beluga whale migration patterns – and the Arctic blue corridors they rely on – visit our interactive Arctic blue corridors report.
