The beluga seems to adopt the lost narwhal

A group of young beluga whales in Canada appear to have adopted a narwhal lost in their own group.
The young narwhal behaves like belugas and already seems to be fully accepted as part of the group. Will more of these inter-species encounters occur as the climate continues to change?

Beluga Pod Adopts Lost Narwhal

Last July, researchers and scientists from the Marine Mammal Research and Education Group or the GREMM observed an isolated narwhal swimming with a pod of young belugas in the St. Lawrence River in Canada. A closer look at the narwhal confirmed that it was the same narwhal that had been spotted in the area several times since 2016, swimming with perhaps the same group with which he has been swimming for years.
As a rule, narwhals live in the icy waters of the Arctic, which means that they are about 1,000 kilometers from their home. The GREMM Chair and Scientific Director, Robert Michaud, stated that it is quite natural for young whales to roam in different habitats.
Some of these young whales end up being injured by propellers when they try to befriend humans or boats. In the case of the narwhal, he is very happy that he found the group of young beluga whales.

Inter-species pod

The narwhal seems to have adopted the behavior of belugas, such as blowing air bubbles. The way in which the inter-species pod was swimming appears to indicate that Belugas fully accepted the narwhal in their group.
The group, consisting of about 10 young belugas, mostly males, and male juveniles, was observed in close contact, rolling, rubbing and swimming near the surface.
The behavior of the group as it was only beluga is rather interesting because even if the two species are actually related, their behavior is different. For example, narwhals typically dive and hunt in deep ice-covered waters, while belugas prefer shallow coastal waters with less ice. According to Michaud, the narwhal behaved as if he were "one of the boys".

Changing environment

Clearly, changes in the environment and Arctic ice melt due to climate change may result in more similar encounters between species that do not generally mingle. A perfect example would be polar bears and grizzlies that even crossed each other. As such, the GREMM researchers wonder if they could one day see hybrids of narwhals and beluga whales in Saint-Laurent.
Interestingly, Martin Nweeia's research team at Harvard observed a similar but opposite situation in which beluga whales were the ones swimming with narwhals in the Arctic. According to Nweeia, who has been studying narwhals for almost 20 years, even though the social structures of the two species are still little known, their social nature allows them to be attentive and compassionate.
"I think it shows … the compassion and openness of other species to welcome another member who may not look or behave the same way. And that may be a good lesson for everyone, "Nweeia said.