Observations on the birth of a beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas) in the St. Lawrence Estuary, Quebec, Canada

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 1327-1329 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pierre Béland ◽  
Annick Faucher ◽  
Patrice Corbeil
Keyword(s):  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Underwater Sound ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Sound Recordings ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
Endangered Population ◽  
Calving Season ◽  
Beluga Whale Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Observation Period

Several white adult beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) were observed to act together with a mother and calf. Underwater sound recordings, group behaviour, and calf appearance and behaviour strongly suggest that the birth had occurred during the observation period. Grey juveniles associated with the group remained at a distance during the whole event. The birth occurred in July during the presumed peak calving season, in a main channel of the St. Lawrence Estuary, home to an endangered population of belugas.

scholarly journals Tumors in St. Lawrence Beluga Whales (Delphinapterus leucas)

1994 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 444-449 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. De Guise ◽  
A. Lagacé ◽  
P. Béland
Keyword(s):  
Small Population ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Carcinogenic Effect ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Endangered Population ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary ◽  
St Lawrence River

A population of 450–500 belugas ( Delphinapterus leucas) resides in the polluted estuary of the St. Lawrence River. Stranded carcasses of this endangered population were recovered and necropsied. High concentrations of organochlorines, heavy metals, and benzo-a-pyrene exposure were demonstrated in tissues of these whales. Between 1988 and 1990, 21 tumors were found in 12 out of 24 carcasses. Among these tumors, six were malignant and 15 were benign. The animals were between 1.5 and >29 years of age, and the ages of animals with and without tumors did not differ when two juvenile animals (1.5 and 3.5 years of age) were excluded. Seven other neoplasms had been reported previously in six out of 21 well-preserved carcasses examined in the same laboratory between 1982 and 1987. Overall, 28 of the 75 confirmed tumors reported so far in cetaceans (37%) were from this small population of beluga whales in the St. Lawrence Estuary. Such a high prevalence of tumors would suggest an influence of contaminants through a direct carcinogenic effect and/or a decreased resistance to the development of tumors in this population.

Immune Functions in the Fisher Rat Fed Beluga Whale (Delphinapterus leucas) Blubber from the Contaminated St. Lawrence Estuary

1999 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. S104-S112 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrice Lapierre ◽  
Sylvain De Guise ◽  
Derek C.G. Muir ◽  
Ross Norstrom ◽  
Pierre Béland ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Beluga Whale ◽  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Immune Functions ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Beluga Whale Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Pathology of stranded beluga whales (Delphinapterus leucas) from the St. Lawrence Estuary, Québec, Canada

1988 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 287-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Martineau ◽  
A. Lagacé ◽  
P. Béland ◽  
R. Higgins ◽  
D. Armstrong ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Hepatic butyltin concentrations in beluga whales?(Delphinapterus leucas) from the St Lawrence Estuary and northern Quebec, Canada

2000 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 218-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard St-Louis ◽  
Stephen de Mora ◽  
�milien Pelletier ◽  
Bill Doidge ◽  
Daniel Leclair ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary

Dermatophilus -like infection in beluga whales, Delphinapterus leucas , from the St. Lawrence estuary

2001 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 59-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
I. Mikaelian ◽  
J.-M. Lapointe ◽  
P. Labelle ◽  
R. Higgins ◽  
M. Paradis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Delphinapterus Leucas ◽  
Lawrence Estuary ◽  
Beluga Whales ◽  
St Lawrence Estuary
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