Mammalia |
Cetartiodactyla |
Monodontidae
Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range
Ecology
Pelagic; brackish; depth range 0 - 862 m (Ref. 122879). Polar; 90°N - 0°S, 180°W - 180°E
Northern Atlantic, Northern Pacific, the Arctic and Inland Waters. [IUCN 2010 (Ref. 84930): CR, C2a(ii).]
Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age
Maturity: Lm ? range ? - ? cm Max length : 550 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 1394); 410 cm TL (female); common length : 430 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 118436); common length :380 cm TL (female); max. published weight: 1.6 t (Ref. 1394)
Minimum depth from Ref. 117401. Death of this species can result from predation by polar bears and killer whales, ice entrapments and diseases. There are at least seven (7) stocks of belugas in the North American Arctic based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA markers (Ref. 118436). Found in shallow coastal waters, and occasionally moves into deep, offshore waters. In the summer, they aggregate in large numbers in shallow estuaries. They primarily feed on various species of fish, combined with a wide variety of mollusks and benthic invertebrates which are found on or near the bottom (Ref. 1394).
Life cycle and mating behavior
Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae
Jefferson, T.A., S. Leatherwood and M.A. Webber. 1993. (Ref. 1394)
IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)
CITES status (Ref. 108899)
Threat to humans
Human uses
Fisheries: commercial
FAO - Fisheries: landings, species profile | FishSource | Sea Around Us
Tools
Internet sources
Estimates based on models
Preferred temperature
(Ref.
115969): -1.8 - 2.3, mean -0.7 (based on 12736 cells).
Resilience
Medium, minimum population doubling time 1.4 - 4.4 years (K=0.06-0.35; tm=7).
Vulnerability
Very high vulnerability (90 of 100).
Price category
Unknown.
