Lone Beluga Whale Discovered More than a Thousand Miles Away From Home in Seattle

Nobody knows why a giant white whale swims off the coast of Seattle. The beluga was spotted swimming in Puget Sound, greater Seattle, last week. A beluga, a stray whale, is typically found in the arctic and subarctic seas.

According to Howard Garrett, co-founder of Orca Network, a whale awareness organization in Puget Sound, “the closest beluga population to Cook Inlet, Alaska,” about 1,500 miles from Seattle. “I haven’t tested the water temperatures up there, but I’m sure they are cooler than here.”

Beluga shots

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

On Sunday (October 3), Jason Rogers of Bonney Lake, Washington, took pictures of a white whale swimming in Commencement Bay in Tacoma, about 50 kilometers south of Seattle.

“Of course it was a strange experience,” Rogers said in an email to Live Science. “We didn’t expect to see a whale, let alone a beluga, while sailing in Commencement Bay.

Other people saw the beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) swimming in Puget Sound at three different shipyards. “I’m not sure what a shipyard has to offer a beluga,” remarked Garrett. “I’m not sure if it is a clue if it suggests it was held in a shipyard somewhere near a major port, but we have no records and we have no idea where that is supposed to be, especially not in North America. ” . “

Related article: Norway’s 2021 whaling season claimed the lives of 570 minke whales despite protests

Discover a beluga

(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

According to Live Science, a beluga whale discovered in Norwegian seas in 2019 was suspected of being a Russian spy with a harness marked “St. Petersburg Equipment”. According to the BBC, the beluga named Hvaldimir still swims in the Scandinavian seas, and animal rights activists fear it may not be able to hunt alone and avoid humans.

There is no evidence of where the discovered beluga came from. Garrett stated, “We saw no tracks, no indication of where they came from.”

Adult belugas, like many other arctic and subarctic species, are white, according to the Georgia Aquarium, which helps them blend in with a world of snow and sea ice. Beluga whales are also known for their distinctive “melons”, spherical lumps on their heads that are used by the whales for communication and echolocation. In reality, beluga whales are sociable animals that live in groups of up to 100 people, which makes this lone whale’s journey even more fascinating, according to Garrett.

Walk alone

So what made this whale set off on its own?

“Until we get more information, my standard opinion is that this whale just went for a walk and see what it could find,” Garrett said. “It had a strong desire to travel. It is rare, though it happens to several people [beluga] Population every now and then. So it’s not that unusual, but it’s pretty rare. “

According to Garrett, the last confirmed sighting of a beluga whale in Puget Sound was in 1940. A beluga was also reported in Puget Sound in 2010 but only one person saw it and was unable to obtain photographic confirmation.

Washed up beluga whale

A beluga whale washed up dead in 2020 in Baja California Sur, Mexico, according to The Mercury News. Why this whale went into such warm waters is still a mystery. “I’m not sure why a beluga should do this,” Garrett remarked.

Nevertheless, according to previous observations, the Puget Sound Beluga appears to be in good condition. “There are enough of them in Puget Sound,” he added, adding that belugas eat cuttlefish, tiny fish, and crabs. Other whales that live in Puget Sound include transient and resident orcas, as well as migratory gray whales, humpback whales, and minke whales, according to Garret.

Local whale and other animal groups, including the local branch of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), are aware of the stranded beluga and plan to carefully approach it for photos. According to Garrett, such photos can be compared to photos of other well-known beluga whales that could help scientists determine where the visitor to Puget Sound came from.

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