Communication

If you stand on the floe edge on a calm day, you may be able to hear the sounds of beluga whale-talk coming from miles away. Sometimes called sea canaries, belugas are the most vocal of all whales. Eleven different beluga sounds have been documented, ranging from grunts and clicks to whistles and squeaks. Because they possess remarkably good eyesight, belugas often rely on a process called echolocation to locate objects. Not much is known about this complex system, which allows belugas to determine size, shape, speed and distance of objects in the water.