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CHICAGO (WNDU) Mauyak, a beluga at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago, is expecting a calf next summer.
The news was announced Monday.
Mauyak gave birth to three calves at the aquarium, including Kimalu, a woman born in August 2012.
The beluga gestation period is between 14 and 16 months, according to an article in the Shedd Aquarium blog.
"Mauyak is an experienced and caring mom, and Shedd's veterinarians and marine mammal trainers are cautiously optimistic that everything will be fine for the 37-year-old whale and her new calf," said Shedd officials.
From the Shedd Aquarium:
Shedd Aquarium announced today that one of its marine mammals is waiting. Mauyak (MY-ak), a 37-year-old beluga (Delphinapterus leucas) is pregnant and is expected to give birth in the summer of 2019.
"Mauyak is progressing well and our suite of veterinarians and the beluga care team are working synchronously to regularly check its presence and that of the developing calf," said Steve Aibel, senior director of marine mammals at the 39 Shedd aquarium. "Shedd Belugas allow people to discover and connect with an incredible species that lives thousands of miles away and this pregnancy is no exception. We look forward to bringing our guests with us every step of the way and to share the wonder of beluga development. "
Shedd's world-class staff has a long history of marine mammal births. With every beluga pregnancy and every birth, aquarium experts have the rare opportunity to observe, document and collect data that contribute to our overall scientific understanding of the species . It would be difficult, if not impossible, to do it in nature.
Caring for pregnant women and calves helps to build the skills needed for the Shedd Animal Response Team to conduct rescue, rehabilitation and release efforts. For example, last year, Shedd joined a team of experts in Alaska to triage a stranded Beluga whale from the critically endangered Cook Inlet beluga subpopulation.
"In addition to the excitement and joy of the birth of an aquarium, each new arrival gives our team and our professional community the opportunity to better understand how to care for animals here and in the wild. . There is no better feeling than taking what we learn in Shedd and applying it to a field rescue operation or conservation effort to protect this species, "said Peggy Sloan , responsible for animal operations at the Shedd Aquarium. "It's the same as what we ask our guests every day: learn what you can and then join us using this knowledge to protect and conserve the aquatic world around us."
In addition to caring for eight beluga whales on site, Shedd has decades of experience in directing, participating in and supporting efforts beyond the walls of the aquarium to better understand, manage and protect beluga whales in the wild. . Much of this work and support focuses on critically endangered beluga subpopulations in Alaska's Cook Inlet and the St. Lawrence Estuary in Canada. For example, Shedd is currently co-funding three studies at Cook Inlet to better understand why, despite strict management and protections, the native beluga population is not recovering.
For the time being, Mauyak's days will remain the same: swimming with the other belugas, interacting with the caregivers and guests, and participating in aquatic presentations. The veterinary team will also visit her for regular exams, including video scans.
Mauyak, whose name means "soft snow" in the language of the Inuit, is an experienced mother. Her newest calf, Kimalu, was born in 2012. Guests will continue to see Mauyak in the Ocean Oceanarium, and Shedd will provide updates throughout her pregnancy.
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