Oreillette
Beluga
Adopted by Peinture Internationale
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ID number
DL0038
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Sex
Unknown
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Year of birth
Around 1970
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Known Since
1986
Distinctive traits
Oreillette has several scars of various shapes just behind the vent. Its dorsal crest contains a few small, unobtrusive nicks, and it is lightly marked on either side of its peduncle.
Life history
We first met Oreillette in 1986. It was already a completely white adult beluga. Oreillette would therefore have been born before 1970.
Despite its obvious markings, Oreillette has been spotted very few times. The data do not allow us to determine its sex or its summer range.
Oreillette has a very particular way of swimming. When it comes to the surface to breathe, it bends its neck upwards and glides along the surface, head slightly out of the water for a few seconds.
Regularly seen with...
Observations history in the Estuary
Years in which the animal was not observed Years in which the animal was observed
Latest news
Oreillette is observed among some forty belugas, all adults. The mood is one of long dives and restful behavior. Several individuals are “billotaging”. We leave the group as darkness sets in.
We last observed Oreillette in 1997. That was more than fifteen years ago. What happened to it? Has it remained invisible to the eye of the researcher all this time? One thing’s for sure, its story remains a valuable source of information for our knowledge of this fragile population.
Sponsor
Peinture Internationale adopted Octave, Aile Joyeuse, Blanche-Neige, Oreillette, Patte d’Oie et Vagabonde (1988).