Trident

Beluga

ligne décoration

Adopted by Samson Bélair Deloitte & Touche

  • ID number

    DL0033

  • Sex

    Male

  • Year of birth

    Before 1970

  • Known Since

    1986

Distinctive traits

You have to look at his dorsal crest to recognize Trident. It has several notches, one of which is rather long. A close look at the front of his right flank also reveals a slight bulge.

Life history

Trident was first photographed in 1986. He was already white. Trident would therefore have been born before 1970.

Trident’s sex was confirmed by genetic analysis of a biopsy : he is a male. He would be part of one of the two male networks in the Saguenay.

We can see Trident’s back as he surfaces to breathe. This reveals some of his unique features, details in his dorsal crest. Belugas normally perform 2 to 3 breathing sequences before diving. Dives can last up to 15 minutes and reach depths of 800 m. However, around 70% of beluga dives reach depths of over 40 m.

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
2017

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

Latest news

We spot Trident in Sainte-Marguerite Bay. Other belugas are moving around him : young gray belugas and light-white adults. The herd, of around twenty individuals, is rather scattered in the bay.

Trident was last seen over fifteen years ago. What happened to him? Did he die? Has he remained invisible to the eye of the researcher all this time? One thing is certain, his story remains a valuable source of information for our knowledge of this fragile population.

Sponsor

Samson Bélair Deloitte & Touche adopted Trident (1988).