Douceur
Beluga
Adopted by Commission scolaire Valin Students and Staff
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ID number
DL0099
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Sex
Unknown
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Year of birth
Before 1961
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Known Since
1977
Distinctive traits
The large missing part of Douceur’s dorsal crest is its most striking detail. It also has a small scar on each flank in front of the crest.
Life history
We first met Douceur in 1977. He was already a completely white adult beluga. The transition to white occurs around 12 to 16 years of age. Douceur was therefore born before 1961.
Despite a very obvious mark, Douceur has been observed few times. The data do not allow us to determine its sex or its summer range.
On July 28, 1990, the team recognized Douceur off Saint-Fabien-sur-Mer. He was heading towards the Bic islands in the company of a few adults ; their bodies were covered in silt. A sign of feeding in the estuary’s muddy bottoms? In fact, beluga prey includes worms and crustaceans living close to the bottom, buried in the sediment.
Observations history in the Estuary
Years in which the animal was not observed Years in which the animal was observed
Latest news
We last observed Douceur in 1990. That was more than twenty years ago. What happened to him? Has he remained invisible to the eye of the researcher all this time? One thing’s for sure, its history remains a valuable source of information for our knowledge of this fragile population.
Sponsor
Commission scolaire Valin Students and Staff adopted Douceur (1990).