Guimauve

First observed in 1986, Guimauve was completely white. She was therefore born before 1970.

A biopsy confirmed Guimauve’s sex: female. A piece of skin and fat taken from her back enabled us to carry out a genetic analysis. Guimauve has never been seen in the Saguenay Fjord. She is thought to be part of the female community on the south shore of the St. Lawrence River.

On September 8, 1987, we saw Guimauve accompanied by a young grey beluga aged 2 or 3. The aggregation was near Île Blanche off the town of Cacouna. One of the clues to determining the sex of a beluga is its association with a newborn calf. However, researchers must repeatedly observe the same adult swimming with the calf, as the young are often accompanied by different adults on the same day. The long-term observation of Guimauve with a calf led us to believe that it was a female and possibly a mother. Later, genetic analysis of a piece of skin and fat confirmed that Guimauve is indeed a female.