Twik

Beluga

ligne décoration

Adopted by the clientele of Maison Simons

  • ID number

    DL0086

  • Sex

    Male

  • Year of birth

    Unknown

  • Known Since

    1977

Distinctive traits

Twik is easily identified by his wide, V-shaped notch in the middle of the dorsal crest. This cut is very deep and allows Twik to be recognized from both sides.

Life history

Thanks to his obvious physical characteristics, Twik is one of the individuals that GREMM has been tracking for over a decade. These long years of tracking are invaluable, enabling the research team to accumulate data on the distribution of the beluga population, such as the duration and frequency of associations between individuals. This in turn enables us to better understand the social behaviours and movements of St. Lawrence belugas.

Observations history in the Estuary

1977
1978
1979
1980
1981
1982
1983
1984
1985
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

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

Latest news

On September 30, 2010, Twik and Trèfle found themselves in the middle of a herd of beluga whales traveling at high speed, all stuck together, in the Anse à la Boule area of the Saguenay. Then, young grays come to investigate our research boat. Curious by nature, these youngsters prevent us from continuing our work. Twik is recognized amongst both adults and youngsters. At the end of the morning, we try to take a biopsy from Trèfle, but the rifle fails and the animal’s behavior becomes difficult to read. We leave the herd, which is beginning to separate, in the ferry area under a light rain.

Sponsor

The clientele of Maison Simons adopted Twik (1990) and Artsea (2017). Shop the collection created for the adoption of Artsea. To learn about the love story between belugas and Simons, click here.