Charlotte

Beluga

ligne décoration

Adopted by The Prince Edward Hotel, CP Hotels

  • ID number

    DL0176

  • Sex

    Male

  • Year of birth

    Before 1974

  • Known Since

    1986

Distinctive traits

Charlotte’s signature is on the back of her head. There’s a scar on her back that runs down both sides. The details of her irregular dorsal crest also help to distinguish her.

Life history

Charlotte was officially identified in 1991, but an initial series of photos suggests that we first observed it in 1986. He was already immaculately white. He was therefore born before 1974.

His associations and the areas he frequents clearly indicate that Charlotte is a male. He is a member of one of the two networks of males that frequent the Saguenay fjord and its mouth.

There are two networks of males that frequent the head of the Laurentian Channel and the Saguenay Fjord. Another network of males, the “Downstream boys”, also use the head of the channel and the downstream portion of the estuary. Although their territories overlap, individuals from one network have very little contact with males from other networks. Within these networks, there are bands, i.e. small groups of males regularly seen together. Charlotte is often seen in summer with the same males. This companionship could be linked to a breeding strategy.

Observations history in the Estuary

1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017

Years in which the animal was not observed Years in which the animal was observed

Latest news

Charlotte is off Île Rouge. He swims past some twenty individuals, a herd of adults and calves. After an observation time of one hour, we leave the herd and on our way out, we observe fin whales in the distance.

Charlotte’s last sighting was over fifteen years ago. What happened to it? Is it dead? Has it remained invisible to the eye of the researcher all this time? One thing is certain, her story remains a valuable source of information for our knowledge of this fragile population.

Sponsor

The Prince Edward Hotel, CP Hotels adopted Charlotte (1999).