Translations:Beluga whale/19/en

Beluga group size and composition are flexible. A mother and calf may travel as a pair; small groups can be organized by age, sex, or reproductive state; and hundreds or thousands of whales may assemble seasonally. Genetic and field data from ten Arctic locations showed that most observed social groups were not composed predominantly of close maternal relatives. Belugas regularly associated with close kin, distant kin, and unrelated individuals, consistent with a dynamic, multi-level social system rather than a simple permanent matrilineal “pod.”