Beluga Whale Articulated Skeleton Replica

Description

Beluga whale articulated skeleton replica is a museum-quality polyurethane resin cast from San Diego Museum of Natural History specimen. 1:1 scale (Life Size), Made in USA. Call 509-951-3557 for shipping quote.

Beluga whale articulated skeleton replica Information

• Length: 125.0 inches (317 cm).
• Width: 44.5 inches (113 cm) from flipper tip to flipper tip.
• Height (H) for Floor Mount: ~38.0 to 42.0 inches including the support stand.
• Height (H) for Ceiling Mount: ~24.0 to 30.0 inches (the vertical profile of the skeleton itself when suspended).

Skeletal Information (SDNHM Specimen)

• Cervical Mobility: The skeleton features unfused cervical (neck) vertebrae, which allows the articulated mount to demonstrate the beluga’s unique ability to turn its head—a feature absent in most other whales.
• Dorsal Ridge: There is no dorsal fin bone; the skeleton shows a hardened dorsal ridge instead, an adaptation for swimming under Arctic ice.
• Echolocation Support: The skull has a distinctive flat facial plane that acts as a structural base for the “melon,” the fatty organ used to focus sound.

The Beluga whale or Delphinapterus leucas is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is also known as the White whale as it is the only cetacean of this color. It is also called the Sea Canary due to its high-pitched calls.

The Melon-Headed whale, which is an oceanic dolphin. Like most toothed whales, Beluga whale has a compartment found at the center of the forehead that contains an organ used for echolocation called a melon, which contains fatty tissue.

The shape of the Beluga whales head is unlike that of any other cetacean, as the melon is extremely bulbous, lobed and visible as a large frontal prominence.

The Beluga whales body is round, particularly when well fed, and tapers less smoothly to the head than the tail. The sudden tapering to the base of its neck gives it the appearance of shoulders, unique among cetaceans.

The tail fin grows and becomes increasingly and ornately curved as the animal ages. The flippers are broad and short, making them almost square shaped.

They are gregarious and form groups of 10 animals on average, although during the summer, they can gather in the hundreds or even thousands in estuaries and shallow coastal areas. They are slow swimmers, but can dive to 2,300 ft. below the surface.

They are opportunistic feeders and their diets vary according to their locations and the season.

The Beluga whale or Delphinapterus leucas feeding habits depend on their locations and the season. the diets of these cetaceans consist mainly of capelin, smelt, sole, flounder, herring, sculpin and other types of salmon.

They also consume a great quantity of invertebrates, such as shrimp, squid, crabs, clams, octopus, sea snails, bristle worms and other deep-sea species.

Scientific classification:
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Infraorder: Cetacea
Family: Monodontidae
Genus: Delphinapterus
Lacépède, 1804
Species: D. leucas
Binomial name: Delphinapterus leucas
Conservation status: Least Concern

For a detailed anatomical study, this specimen is also available as a beluga whale disarticulated skeleton replica cast.

The Beulga whale skeleton replica is an authentic, 1:1 scale (Life size) reproduction molded from San Diego Natural History Museum specimen.