Every summer, tens of thousands of these white whales gather in the Churchill and Seal River estuaries to feed, mate and give birth, making Churchill one of the top beluga-watching destinations in the world. Here are 14 facts that make these "sea canaries" so remarkable.

Key Takeaways

• Belugas are highly social, vocal whales—nicknamed "sea canaries"—that gather by the thousands in Manitoba's Churchill and Seal River estuaries every summer.
• Their signature white colour develops with age; calves are actually born grey.
• Unlike most whales, belugas have no dorsal fin and can turn their heads independently of their bodies—both adaptations for life under the arctic ice.
• July and August are the best months to see them in the Churchill River estuary.

The Whale of Many Names

1. Beluga comes from the Russian word for "the white one." The beluga whale is also known as the white whale, melonhead, or sea canary.

2. A beluga's white skin helps it camouflage among Arctic and subarctic ice. Calves are actually born grey and gradually lighten with age. Belugas can live between 30 and 60 years, with some aging well past 80 years old.

Use Your Melon

3. The bump on a beluga's head is called a melon and it changes shape depending on the sound the whale is emitting.

4. Belugas make a wide range of sounds—chirps, whistles, cackles, squawks—which is why they're sometimes called sea canaries.

5. Beluga whales have a highly developed sense of hearing.

No Fin? No Problem!

6. Unlike other whales, belugas have no dorsal fin, which lets them swim with ease beneath ice. They use their hard dorsal ridge and their heads to break breathing holes through thick ice.

7. Belugas are also unique among whales and dolphins in their ability to turn their heads, improving their field of view.

The World's Most Powerful Pair of Glasses

8. Belugas use echolocation, a kind of natural sonar that lets them swim with ease, hunt, communicate and find blowholes under sheets of ice. A series of clicks passes through the melon, which projects the sound as a beam through the water. The sound waves bounce off objects as echoes, telling the whale about the distance, speed, size, shape and even internal structure of what's in the sound beam.

Heads Up!

9. Polar bears and orcas (killer whales) are the beluga's main predators.

10. Instead of chewing their food, belugas use their teeth to hold prey and swallow it nearly whole.

BFFs (Beluga Friends Forever)

11. Beluga whales are extremely friendly and social, typically forming groups of around 10 whales—but during summer migration, they can gather in the thousands, as they do in the warmer waters of the Churchill and Seal River estuaries where they feed and give birth.

12. Belugas are curious and will swim around and under boats, kayaks and stand-up paddleboards.

13. Belugas like to play. Pods sometimes chase each other and play with objects they find in the water, like wood, plants, dead fish or bubbles.

Close Encounters of the Beluga Kind

14. There are a number of ways to get up close to beluga whales in Churchill—by kayak, stand-up paddleboard, Zodiac or boat tour, or Beluga AquaGliding™, which lets you glide along the water's surface while belugas swim just beneath you.

Plan Your Trip

• Best time to go: July and August, when thousands of belugas gather in the Churchill River estuary.
• How to see them: Guided kayaking, paddleboarding, Zodiac tours, and AquaGliding are offered through operators including Sea North Tours, Lazy Bear Expeditions, Frontiers North Adventures, Churchill Wild, Heartland International Travel & Tours, Natural Habitat Adventures and Churchill Northern Studies Centre.
• Getting there: Fly from Winnipeg to Churchill in about two hours or take the VIA Rail train, roughly 48 hours from Winnipeg or 24 hours from Thompson.
• Book ahead: Beluga season is peak season in Churchill—accommodations and tours fill up fast and your best chance is to plan ahead.

Ready to Meet the Belugas?

Few places on Earth let you get this close to thousands of wild, curious whales. Plan your Churchill beluga adventure today!

Original blog by Alexis McEwen