Beluga whale  (Delphinapterus leucas)

Authentication

Authenticated (9/6/03) by WDCS, The Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society.
http://www.wdcs.org

Glossary

  • Dorsal fin: the unpaired fin found on the back of the body of fish, or the raised structure on the back of most cetaceans.
  • Genus: a category used in taxonomy, which is below ‘family’ and above ‘species’. A genus tends to contain species that have characteristics in common. The genus forms the first part of a ‘binomial’ Latin species name; the second part is the specific name.
  • Gestation: the state of being pregnant; the period from conception to birth.
  • Invertebrates: animals with no backbone.
  • Melon: in cetaceans, the bulging forehead belonging to a number of species, which contains oil, muscles and nasal passages and is though to focus sound during echolocation.

References

  1. IUCN Red List (November, 2008)
    http://www.iucnredlist.org
  2. Carwardine, M. (1995) Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises.Dorling Kindersley, London.
  3. Macdonald, D. (2001) The New Encyclopedia of Mammals.Oxford University Press, Oxford.
  4. CITES (March, 2003)
    http://www.cites.org
  5. Convention on Migratory Species (June, 2008)
    http://www.cms.int
  6. O’Corry-Crowe, G.M. (2002) Beluga whale. In: Perrin, W.F., Würsig, B. and Thewissen, J.G.M. (Eds) Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals.Academic Press, London.
  7. U.S. National Marine Mammal Laboratory (March, 2003)
    http://nmml.afsc.noaa.gov/education/cetaceans/beluga2.htm
  8. MarineBio.org (June, 2008)
    http://marinebio.org/species.asp?id=159
  9. Reeves, R.R., Smith, B.D., Crespo, E.A. and di Sciara, G.N. (2003) Dolphins, Whales and Porpoises: 2002-2010 Conservation Action Plan for the World's Cetaceans.IUCN, Gland, Switzerland and Cambridge, UK.
  10. Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS) (March, 2003)
    http://www.wdcs.org/species_guide.php
  11. International Whaling Commission (June, 2008)
    http://www.iwcoffice.org
  12. Alaska and Inuvialuit Beluga Whale Committee (March, 2003)
    http://www.state.ak.us/adfg/wildlife/mm/bh.htm
  13. Angliss, R.P. and Lodge, K.L. (2003) Beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas): Cook Inlet Stock.NOAA, US.
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