Delphinapterus leucas
In 3 days ~80% in a week >90%
The beluga whale or the white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two living members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. It is also known as the sea canary, due to its high-pitched calls; and the melonhead, though that more commonly refers to the melon-headed whale, which is an oceanic dolphin.
The beluga is adapted to life in the Arctic, with anatomical and physiological characteristics that differentiate it from other cetaceans. Amongst these are its all-white colour that gives the whale its name; and the absence of a dorsal fin, which allows it to swim under ice with ease. It possesses a distinctive protuberance at the front of its head which houses an echolocation organ called the melon, which in this species is large and deformable. The beluga's body size is between that of a dolphin and a True's beaked whale, with males growing up to 5.5 m (18 ft) long and weighing up to 1,600 kg (3,530 lb). This whale has a stocky body. Like many cetaceans, a large percentage of its weight is blubber (subcutaneous fat). Its sense of hearing is highly developed and its echolocation allows it to move about and find breathing holes under sheet ice.
Belugas are gregarious and form groups of 10 animals on average, although during the summer, they can gather in the hundreds or even thousands in estuaries and shallow coastal areas. They are slow swimmers, but can dive to 700 m (2,300 ft) below the surface. They are opportunistic feeders and their diets vary according to their locations and the season. The majority of belugas live in the Arctic Ocean and the seas and coasts around North America, Russia, and Greenland; their worldwide population is thought to number around 200,000. Belugas are migratory and the majority of groups spend the winter around the Arctic ice cap; when the sea ice melts in summer, they move to warmer river estuaries and coastal areas. Some populations are sedentary and do not migrate over great distances during the year.
The native peoples of North America and Russia have hunted belugas for many centuries. They were also hunted by non-natives, primarily Europeans, during the 19th century and part of the 20th century. Hunting of belugas is not controlled by the International Whaling Commission, and each country has developed its own regulations in different years. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Svalbard | 🇳🇴 Norway |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage | 🇺🇸 United States |
Likely
About 40% of wildlife watchers report a Beluga sighting in Svalbard on a given day, based on 113 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 7th most-seen of the 14 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 80%, and over a week to over 90%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February and September
In those months about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Beluga in Svalbard on a given day, against about 10% in March, the lowest month. December has too few records to rate.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Beluga sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Svalbard, in our data
Svalbard is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Beluga sightings: about 40% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same order: Cetacea
The closest relatives of the Beluga that you can see in Svalbard (order Cetacea) are Minke Whale (about 40%), Humpback Whale (about 30%) and Fin Whale (about 20%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Beluga is recorded against all the mammals logged in Svalbard (113 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
