#0041 · 🦊 mammals
Beluga
🇳🇱 Beloega ·Delphinapterus leucas
7 photos from iNaturalist (Creative Commons) · credits & licences
what is it?
The beluga whale (/bɪˈluːɡə/) or white whale ( Delphinapterus leucas ) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is 1 of 2 members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus . This marine mammal is commonly referred to as the beluga or sea canary due to its high-pitched twitter.
base stats
Bars compare against all animals on log scales: up to 300,000 Dutch and 600,000 worldwide sightings (the most-seen species), 150 t (blue whale), 30 m and 400 years (Greenland shark).
fun facts
- Spotted 15 times in the Netherlands on iNaturalist: the #41 most seen of the mammals in NL.
- 2,584 observations worldwide on iNaturalist.
- Weighs up to about 60 kg.
- Scientifically named by Peter Simon Pallas in 1776 (250 years ago).
fact sheet
- English
- Beluga
- Nederlands
- Beloega
- scientific name
- Delphinapterus leucas
- class
- Mammalia
- order
- Artiodactyla
- family
- Monodontidae
- IUCN Red List
- LC · least concern
- sightings in NL
- 15
- sightings in Europe
- 254
- sightings worldwide
- 2,584
- GBIF records in NL
- 467
- weight
- 60 kg
- length
- —
- lifespan
- —
- named
- 1776 by Peter Simon Pallas
IUCN in Dutch: niet bedreigd. Blank means the sources don't say.
relatives· Monodontidae
Sources: iNaturalist taxon 41461, Wikidata Q132072, GBIF 5220003, Wikipedia (EN), Wikipedia (NL). Intro text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.