Dance-Sea

Beluga

ligne décoration

Adopted by Coralie and Roxane Mingard

  • ID number

    DL0102

  • Sex

    Male

  • Year of birth

    Before 1977

  • Known Since

    1989

Distinctive traits

This broad mark, just behind the head and extending to be visible from both sides, is Dance-Sea’s signature. His prominent crest also contains several small notches.

Life history

Dance-Sea was first observed in 1989. His “coat” was already immaculate white. He was therefore born before 1977.

His large size, habits and social affiliations clearly indicated that Dance-Sea was a male. On July 14, 1997, a biopsy confirmed this. Dance-Sea is a regular sighting in the Saguenay Fjord. He is part of one of two male networks in the Saguenay.

Dance-Sea’s scar may be the result of an encounter with a boat. Yet this male doesn’t seem to have developed a healthy distrust of gear. On at least two occasions, the research team was “inspected by a group of belugas including Dance-Sea ; the animals would stop very close to the boat for a few minutes. One of these encounters took place while Dance-Sea’s “godmothers” were aboard the research vessel. They were thus able to meet their protégé “in real life”.

Regularly seen with...

Le Survivant

Laurent

Cumulus

Virgule

Observations history in the Estuary

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

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

Latest news

We’ve just received a call from the Réseau québécois d’urgences pour les mammifères marins, informing us that a beluga carcass is adrift, east of the village of Les Bergeronnes. We headed for the area where the carcass had been sighted. We spot a beluga, but it’s not dead, it’s billowing (a word meaning it’s floating like a log). We recognize Dance-Sea. He’s not very energetic, he looks skinny and his breathing is slow. We decide to leave the area so as not to cause stress and disturb Dance-Sea’s resting behavior.

Early in the morning on September 14, 2011, we came across two adult white belugas off the Centre Archéo Topo, an archaeological interpretation center in Les Bergeronnes. Among the two individuals, we spot Dance-Sea, but we don’t recognize his mate. For an hour, seemingly nonchalant, the two belugas swim together, eventually separating and heading in different directions. Each sighting is important, and gives us an insight into beluga behaviour. Sometimes, we observe individuals alone, and the same individual, seen again during another observation, will find itself in a completely different situation. In fact, during Dance-Sea’s previous observation, he was part of a large herd of around 50 individuals, including females, calves and newborns. They were at the mouth of the Saguenay Fjord. The mouth is a meeting place. Networks of male belugas cross paths with communities of females and calves.

Sponsor

Coralie and Roxane Mingard adopted Dance-Sea (1993).