BELUGA WHALES DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS ALSO NAMED AS THE SEA CANARY

1. ACTION PLAN

1.1. Things Government Can Do

1.1.1. By passing a law not to let industrial waste into rivers thereby avoiding waste water pollution

1.1.2. Restrict Whaling of the Belugas

1.1.3. The government can make more marine parks where the Beluga whales can be protected and bred.

1.2. Things Non-Government Organizations Can Do

1.2.1. Raising Public Awareness by personalized interpretation and theatrical presentations about the Beluga Whales

1.2.2. Watching the development of the size of its population,its composition and use of habitat and effects of human activities

1.3. Things I Can Do

1.3.1. I would dispose my garbage appropriately because too often plastic bags, juice containers and other garbage fly and end up in water where marine animals gets polluted.

1.3.2. Adopt daily habits that respect the environment like saving water and using ecologically friendly products as the use of water has an impact on the health of the river

1.3.3. Check whether the municipality effectively treats the sewer system before dumping the water in the rivers.If not, to check the issue with elected officials

2. LINKS, VIDEOS AND RESOURCES FOR MY BLOG

2.1. Links: Biome/ Habitat -http://www.enchantedlearning.com/biomes/tundra/tundra.shtml

2.2. Links: All about whales- http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Beluga.shtml

2.3. Links: American Cetacean Society- http://www.acsonline.org/factpack/BelugaWhale.htm

2.4. Watch this Cool Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTtQUDH2XSg&feature=channel

3. HABITAT

3.1. Clean Air

3.2. Found in the Sub-Arctic seas

3.3. Lives in cold Frigid waters but some population of the Belugas migrate to the south to warmer waters in summer

3.4. Lives at temperatures below Zero degree celcius.

4. MAP

4.1. Distribution of Beluga Whales

5. HUMAN IMPACTS ON THE SPECIES

5.1. Pollution by chemicals and cancer causing agents at the estuaries from the industries has led to a decline in the Beluga whale population

5.2. New oil and gas centres for resources has also led to some contamination in the waters thereby declining the population.

5.3. Loss of Habitat

6. BIOLOGY

6.1. Belugas are white in colour

6.2. Belugas are marine warm blooded mammals and breathe air through the blow holes

6.3. Life cycle is about 25- 30 years

6.4. Size of minimum 5 metres(16 feet) in length

6.5. Female Belugas give birth to one calf in three years

6.6. Gestation period is 14- 15 months.

7. BIOME

7.1. Arctic Tundra

7.2. It is the coldest biome charcterized by very low temperatures and are located in the far north of Greenland, Alaska, Canada, Europe and Russia

8. STATUS

8.1. Threatened

8.2. Special concerns: some population of the Belugas are critically endangered

8.3. Beluga Whales are threatened by pollution (DDT, PCB's etc) in estuary waters that they frequently breed in.