Yes, beluga whales are friendly creatures. They show their amiable and social behavior within or also even outside of their family groups. Not only that, but beluga whales also interact gently with humans until they are not abused or threatened.
In this article, I am going to discuss their behavior toward humans. Moreover, I will also put some light on how to handle beluga whales gently without making them feel threatened. Keep reading if you want to eliminate all your confusion regarding beluga whales’ behavior.
Are Beluga Whales Friendly with Humans? Why?
Beluga whales like to socialize and make friends among their kin and non-kin.
Generally, they are very curious about their surroundings and environment. Hence, they can be seen swimming close to underwater videographers or photographers and even following large boats and ships out of curiosity.
As they are very friendly and curious towards humans, they love to meet and greet people. Besides, their sounds are close enough to human vocalization. This makes them feel close to humans.
Is Beluga Child Friendly?
Normally, beluga whales are child friendly. They can move around or show tricks, which entertain children. However, Beluga whales make various sounds that can please kids but also can frighten them.
Sometimes, kids screaming, or crying can make a beluga whale bewildered. This can make beluga whales feel threatened, which results in turning on their aggressive mood. Hence, it’s better to be cautious when you are going close to any beluga whale along with your kids.
Do Beluga Whales Attack Humans? Are They Dangerous?
In normal cases, beluga whales neither hunt nor attack humans. But if they are abused or feel any potential threat, they might be dangerous and attack people.
Due to evolution, beluga whales generally have very narrow throats. That’s why they are unable to shallow something of human size. Generally, their diet consists of small fish, grills, and phytoplanktons.
This type of selective diet declines the chances of beluga eating humans. Indeed, there is no chance for them to attack you as food. They will attack you if it seems risky to them.
Furthermore, beluga whales have the great hearing ability, and human sounds attract them. That’s why they are found to swim around boats in the ocean. But, if you try to harm or harass them, they might end up attacking you in self-defense.
Why are They not Violent?
Beluga whales are not violent due to their intelligence. They have self-awareness, reasoning, and communication senses that make them non-violent.
Beluga whales are intelligent due to a large number of folds in the neocortex of their brain. Due to their intelligence and echolocation features, they can easily distinguish between a friendly and predator environment. That’s why they are non-violent within a friendly environment.
Moreover, beluga whales are wild animals and also big, strong creatures. Though they are very amiable and non-violent in a friendly environment, you should still be careful around them. As you don’t know when they are stressed and feel danger, you can unintentionally become their enemy.
Can Beluga be Aggressive?
Yes, beluga whales can become aggressive. They can be aggressive while hunting and if they are harassed and provoked. Otherwise, they don’t pose any threat.
Beluga whales can be aggressive infrequently. If it has experienced any abuse in the past or becomes afraid due to loud noise or unfamiliar noise, it may attack humans or its potential threat.
From a historical basis, beluga whales are non-aggressive. But when they feel frightened, they show aggression by opening their mouth. Hence, when you see a beluga whale opening its mouth, you better stop bothering it.
Can You Touch Beluga Whales?
Yes, you can touch a beluga whale. But make sure you are touching the beluga under the supervision of its trainers.
Beluga whales like to interact with people and will love it when you touch them and pet them. But I will suggest you not touch any wild beluga whales that come to meet.
As trained beluga whales are well-trained, they are harmless. But you can’t be sure when wild beluga whales will feel threatened and will attack you. On the other hand, you can also end up hurting them unintentionally.
Can You Swim with a Beluga Whale?
Technically, yes. You can swim with a beluga whale. But it’s better to swim with them under the supervision of a trainer or with an organization license.
People can get perplexed when Beluga whales approach them while swimming. As we know, they are generally non-violent and non-aggressive, so it’s safe to swim with them. However, you must remember that they weigh almost 1400 kilograms, and swimming with them can be dangerous without professional supervision.
Even in the wild, it’s permitted to swim with beluga whales. But it requires an organization license to do so. If you don’t have a license and are not a professional, it’s wise to avoid them when you encounter them in the wild.
Do Beluga Whales Bite?
Yes, beluga whales have teeth, and they can bite. They have 8-10 peng-shaped teeth on each side of both lower and upper jaws.
On average, beluga whales have 32 teeth which are adapted for grasping and tearing. Due to the exceptional shape of their teeth, they can’t chew their prey. They grasp, tear and swallow them as a whole. Undoubtedly, beluga whales can bite and are also able to tear apart their prey.
Are Beluga Whales’ Teeth Venomous?
No, beluga whales’ teeth are not venomous. They catch their small prey by the sharpness of their teeth. Though their teeth are not that sharp, it’s enough to grab their small prey.
Beluga whales have peng-shaped teeth, which they use for catching prey. Their suction and split behavior also help them to catch benthic prey.
Hence, there is no need for any kind of venom to kill and grasp their prey. Rather, their teeth contain growth rings termed “growth layer groups.” This can be used as an indicator of their age.
Do Beluga Whales Like to Play with Humans?
Yes, beluga whales like to play with humans. They are very friendly and like to impress and copy their human friends.
They are very curious about human behavior. Even they try to copy human speech and also almost sound like humans. Also, beluga whales will blow for interacting and impressing people.
Besides, they love when people pet them lovingly. That’s why they try to impress and entertain them by playing with them.
Can You Pet a Beluga Whale?
Yes, you can pet a beluga whale. But you must be careful while petting them.
Beluga whales have a wide forehead termed melon. As it is filled with wax, fatty acids, and oil, it seems so squishy a question may arise, ” Does it hurt a beluga whale when you squish its forehead?
No, it doesn’t hurt a beluga whale when you squish its forehead. Beluga whales’ brains are located and well-protected inside their skulls.
Therefore, if you press their melon, it won’t hurt their brain. Still, you should be cautious when you are petting its head. Make sure you are not squishing its head with too much force.
Are Beluga Whales more Friendly than Dolphins?
Though dolphins are more popular among people, beluga whales are indeed more friendly than dolphins. The reason behind this is beluga whales spend more time socializing with humans.
Dolphins can do various tricks, and also, they are very playful. On the other hand, beluga whales love to interact with others more than dolphins.
While dolphins are busy attacking members of their pods, beluga whales spend their time interacting and socializing non-violently with each other.
Not only that, but more surprisingly, they can also socialize easily with groups of other pods and also can join them easily.
Moreover, beluga whales have flexible melon-shaped heads. This feature allows them to make numerous facial expressions which dolphins are not capable of.
Besides, beluga whales can change the shape of their lips to create more expressions and sounds, presenting them as friendly creatures to humans.
Final Words
Beluga whales are pretty friendly marine creatures. However, it might not be amiable and gentle all the time. They can act aggressively when stressed, abused, or harassed. Besides, they can also harm you unintentionally. Therefore, I suggest that you keep a safe distance from them for your safety.
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