Narwhal lost 1,000 km from home adopted by beluga whale in Canada

A Beluga family adopted a narwhal lost in the St. Lawrence River in Canada.

Images of drones captured by the Marine Mammal Education and Research Group (GREMM) showed that an Arctic narwhal, 1,000 miles away from its usual habitat, had been captured by the whale klan. This is a rare observation of the two species of mammals that intersect.

The narwal arrived in the area three years ago, but has since been dragged and appears to have been adopted by the band of nine or ten male beluga whales.

The narwhal, who is believed to be a young man judging by his half-meter-long defense, was filmed playing in the basket.

"He behaves as if he's one of the boys," said Robert Michaud, president and scientific director of GREMM.

"They are in constant contact with each other," said Michaud. "It's like a big social balloon of young people playing social games.

"This little narwhal who made a similar trip was very lucky because he found almost normal friends."

The interactions between the narwhal and the belugas appear to be identical to those of the only belugas, the group said, suggesting that the narwhal was fully accepted.

This is the first time that a narwhal, described as the unicorn of the sea, has been observed in the St. Lawrence Estuary since 2003. They generally remain in the Arctic waters of northern Canada, Norway and Greenland. and Russia.

It is unusual for the two to mix. Although they have a very similar physiology, they behave very differently, with different daily cycles and hunting patterns. Narwhals tend to hunt deep-sea fish and stick to ice-covered areas, while belugas prefer coastal areas and eat salmon and capelin in shallow waters.

Martin Nweeia, a researcher at Harvard University who has been studying narwhals for nearly two decades, said that given the social character of the two species, they would also be able to care and be compassionate.

He said, "I do not think it should surprise people, I think it shows the compassion and openness of other species to welcome another member who might not look or act the same way." it may be a good lesson for everyone. "