Beluga Vocalizations

Belugas were given the nickname “sea canaries” due to the many sounds that they create. They are very social animals, and they use their widerange of vocalizations to commumicate with each other. Biologists have researched these sounds and have begun to discover patterns in the sounds that belugas make, which may reveal what the belugas are trying to communicate.

Echolocation

Belugas produce clicking sounds that bounce off of fish and other objects, like ice. The sounds that bounce back allow belugas to form a picture of their surroundings. This is called echolocation.

Belugas use echolocation to navigate under water and to find food, such as arctic cod. Submarines also use echolocation (sonar).

Other animals that use echolocation include dolphins, shrews, most bats and other whales.