Oreillette

Beluga

ligne décoration

Adopted by Peinture Internationale

  • ID number

    DL0038

  • Sex

    Unknown

  • Year of birth

    Around 1970

  • 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.

Observations history in the Estuary

1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997

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).