# Beluga whale (*Delphinapterus leucas*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/beluga-whale  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is a mammal in the whales and dolphins group, belonging to the order Cetacea, suborder Odontoceti and family Monodontidae. It is a giant marine animal with an adult body mass of 1.36 tonnes, and up to 1.38 tonnes reported by our sources. The beluga whale is a piscivore and carnivore with a cathemeral activity pattern. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 1.36 t |
| Length | up to 5.5 m |
| Lifespan | 34.3 years |
| Diet | Piscivore |
| Longest recorded lifespan | 40 years |
| Main food | Not recorded |
| Habitat | marine |
| Gestation | 365 days – 409 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1.02 |
| Age at maturity | 4.68 years – 6.25 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.33 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Marine |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Cetacea
- family: Monodontidae
- genus: Delphinapterus
- species: *Delphinapterus leucas* (Pallas, 1776)

Synonyms: *Balaena albicans*, *Beluga angustata*, *Beluga borealis*, *Beluga canadensis*, *Beluga catodon*, *Beluga concreta*, *Beluga declivis*, *Beluga glacialis*, *Beluga kingii*, *Beluga rhinodon*, *Catodon albicans*, *Catodon candicans*, *Catodon sibbaldi*, *Cephalorhynchus hectori albus*, *Delphinapterus beluga*, *Delphinapterus catodon*, *Delphinapterus catodon*, *Delphinapterus catodon*, *Delphinapterus dorofeevi*, *Delphinapterus freimani*, *Delphinapterus kingi*, *Delphinapterus leucas marisalbi*, *Delphinus albians*, *Delphinus albicans*, *Delphinus canadensis*, *Delphinus kingii*, *Delphinus leucas*, *Delphinus leucaster*, *Delphinus phocaena albus*, *Inia canadensis*, *Physeter macrocephalus albicans*

## Common questions

### How heavy is a beluga whale?

An adult Beluga whale has a body mass of 1.36 tonnes, with up to 1.38 tonnes reported by our sources. It falls in the giant size class, meaning an adult body mass over 250 kg.

### What does the beluga whale eat?

The beluga whale is a piscivore, placing it at the carnivore trophic level.

### Is the beluga whale endangered?

No. It is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List in a global assessment, which is not an IUCN threatened category.

### How long does a beluga whale live?

The beluga whale has a lifespan of 34.27 years, with up to 40 years reported by our sources.

### What kind of animal is the beluga whale?

The beluga whale is a mammal in the whales and dolphins group, classified in the order Cetacea, suborder Odontoceti and family Monodontidae.

### How many young does a beluga whale have?

The beluga whale has 1.02 young per litter and 0.33 litters per year. Its gestation period is 409.1 days (1.1 years).

### Who named the beluga whale?

The scientific name Delphinapterus leucas is credited to (Pallas, 1776).

### What other names does the beluga whale have?

Other English names for the beluga whale are Beluga, Buluga, Belukha, Melonhead and White fish.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/beluga-whale