Élizabeth

Beluga

ligne décoration

Adopted by Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth

  • ID number

    DL0065

  • Sex

    Female

  • Year of birth

    Before 1970

  • Known Since

    1986

Distinctive traits

The first thing that catches the eye is the long, deep notch in Élizabeth’s dorsal crest. This mark, along with the other notches in her crest, makes her easy to recognize.

Life history

Élizabeth was first identified in 1986. She was already all white. Élizabeth would therefore have been born before 1970.

A biopsy taken during the summer of 1997 confirms that Élizabeth is a female from the Saguenay community.

In 1996, this female had been seen accompanied by a calf, leading the team to assume that it was a female and possibly even a mother. A beluga’s social behavior can help us determine its sex, as they live in groups of three to several dozen individuals, segregated by sex or age. In summer, females even form large communities in which they look after newborns and young. These communities are attached to traditional territories.

Élizabeth’s sex was confirmed the following year thanks to a biopsy, a skin sample taken from the animal’s back.

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

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

Latest news

One of Élizabeth’s last contacts was on October 20, 2009 in the Saguenay fjord. She was found in a small herd of around ten individuals, made up of adults and calves. Yogi and his youngster, whom we nicknamed “Boubou”, were in the same group as Élizabeth. At the end of the contact, the group splits up and we eventually lose track of them.

Sponsor

Fairmont The Queen Elizabeth adopted Élizabeth (1999).