Zéblanc
Beluga
Adopted by la Fondation Jean-Louis Lévesque
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ID number
DL0043
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Sex
Unknown
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Year of birth
Before 1961
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Known Since
1988
Distinctive traits
Zéblanc can be identified by the multiple indentations in its dorsal crest. There is also a slight depression on the peduncle of the left flank.
Life history
We first met Zéblanc in 1977. It was already a completely white adult beluga. Zéblanc was therefore born before 1961.
At present, the data do not allow us to determine its sex or its summer range.
Even without genetic analysis, when we have several data on an individual, it is possible to presume its sex. Adult belugas are highly sex-segregated in summer. Males and females show clearly marked preferences, both in their associations and in the areas they frequent. However, for Zéblanc, the lack of data at present prevents us from identifying the areas it frequents.
Observations history in the Estuary
Years in which the animal was not observed Years in which the animal was observed
Latest news
Zéblanc is observed off Les Bergeronnes accompanied by some twenty other belugas, practically all adults. The search was complex that day, as the animals were in the heart of the shipping lane, and the passage of cargos and the pilot boat interrupted contact with the belugas.
Zéblanc was last seen some ten years ago. What happened to it? Is it dead? Has it remained invisible to researchers all this time? One thing is certain, its story remains a valuable source of information for our knowledge of this fragile population.
Sponsor
La Fondation Jean-Louis Lévesque adopted Zéblanc (1988).