Communication in Canaries of the Sea

In case you were wondering, that term ‘canaries of the sea’ has been applied to beluga whales. They are known to use an assortment of clicks, whistles, squeals and chirps which can be seen as similar to some of the noises from our bird population.

The word Beluga means white which is the adult coloration. The melon which is a big blob of fat on their foreheads is a tool they use to help them with facial expressions and it projects sound.

Scientists have long believed the melon is also a tool for communication and thanks to a recent research project study done on 51 members of the species at MarineLand Canada in Niagara Falls, they now believe certain shapes have very significant meanings and take 5 forms.

When they shake and press the melon, that behaviour seems to indicate an interest in sex and courtship. But the other shapes are still not defined and more study is necessary to pin down any kind of meaning.

These creatures that frequent subarctic and arctic waters can be heard for miles by ships and are hunted by indigenous people, killer whales and polar bears should they fall prey to freezing ice. So they tend to migrate to warmer waters to avoid certain death.

Due to global warming, these beautiful creatures are finding it more difficult to communicate since their sounds are being broken up and lost to the sounds from shipping lanes and other species of whales moving in.

There has been 52 call types identified over the years which are made by mixing sounds they use to pass on information and different pulse types. Add that to the movement of the melon on their heads, and we know we are dealing with intelligent mammals. But the research continues to understand what they are saying to each other and to reveal their ongoing story.