Flippo
Beluga
Adopted by the sub-distributors of Messageries dynamiques and by the Magazine Québec Science
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ID number
DL0104
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Sex
Unknown
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Year of birth
Around 1964
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Known Since
1977
Distinctive traits
The two deep, closely spaced scars on Flippo’s right peduncle are its signature. The details of its dorsal crest are not pronounced enough to recognize it from the left flank.
Life history
Flippo was first photographed in 1980. It was slightly gray, almost all white. It was born around 1964.
Flippo was regularly observed with a newborn on its flank. These observations, its affiliations and its small size suggest that Flippo is a female from the Saguenay Fjord community.
Flippo was first observed in 1977, by the team of Leone Pippard, a pioneer in beluga research. In the 1970s, little was known about the belugas of the St. Lawrence. Along with her colleagues, Leone Pippard sounded the alarm about the fragile state of this small population of white whales.
Observations history in the Estuary
Years in which the animal was not observed Years in which the animal was observed
Latest news
We come across a dozen belugas off Île Verte. Among this group of adults and calves we spot Flippo. The herd is split into several scattered groups of two to three individuals. The wind is starting to pick up, so we decide to head for the head of the herd to collect as much data as possible before leaving the site.
Flippo was last seen over twenty years ago. What happened to it? Did it die? Has it remained invisible to the researcher’s eye all this time? One thing is certain, its story remains a valuable source of information for our knowledge of this fragile population.
Sponsors
The sub-distributors of Messageries dynamiques adopted Flippo (1994)
The Magazine Québec Science adopted Flippo (1994).