Beluga whale calves are gray when they are born.
Newborn belugas are noticeably darker than adults, usually gray or gray-brown. They gradually lighten as they mature, and most become characteristically white by about five years of age. This color change is one reason young belugas can look unlike the adults in their pod.
Adult belugas are called “white whales,” but that description does not apply to newborns. Their pale adult color is linked to the loss of pigment during growth rather than to a white coat being present from birth. Belugas have no dorsal fin, an adaptation that helps them move beneath sea ice.
Belugas live in Arctic and sub-Arctic waters and are highly social. They use a flexible range of whistles, clicks, and calls, which has earned them the nickname “sea canaries.”