Cetaceans celebrating birthdays in August include four beluga whales and one Pacific white-sided dolphin. That’s one big splash party in Whale Harbor!
Beginning with the most august of Shedd’s whales, our big male, Naluark, turns 24. At least that’s our best estimate. He was 10½ feet long and about 1,000 pounds—within range for a 6-year-old—when he came to Shedd in 1992. To give you an idea of how belugas bulk up as they grow, he now carries more than a ton on a 13-foot frame. But he carries it well, with rippling horizontal "rails" of blubber along his length. Naluark, who frequently appears in Fantasea, is easily recognizable by his snowy white skin. He sired Bella, Miki and the newest calf, Nunavik.
Time to send a shout-out to beluga whale Bella, who turns 4 on Saturday. This playful girl is so interactive that she just might send a high-pitched squeal back! She’s one of three Shedd whales whose birthdays we’re observing in July.
Come to Jazzin’ at the Shedd to see things you wouldn’t during regular hours! Like pool toys—very sturdy pool toys—in the Oceanarium habitats.
"One of the things we do for the animals at night is enrichment," says Ken Ramirez, executive vice president, animal programs and training. "During the day, we focus on training and personal interactions. At night, when we go home, we put enrichment items"— toys—"into the habitats for the animals to play with."
Everyone has their hang-ups, and mine are made of plastic. I will do almost anything to avoid taking home a plastic bag or cup, which can land me in awkward situations – like the time I lugged home 24 cat food cans in an undersized backpack, or the time I canceled a coffee order at the airport because the baristas wouldn’t use my travel mug. Still, I’d rather see just how many library books I can cram into my reusable tote than yield to the temptation of an extra plastic bag.
If you haven’t visited the beluga calf in more than a few weeks, you will be amazed at his progress. He’s more than 6 feet long and weighs about 400 pounds. In fact, he has traded his fetal folds for rolls of baby blubber. He’s big enough to actively play with Bella, 3½ (and the calf’s full sister), and (half-brother) Miki, 2½. He even barges in on their games. The other day, the trainers placed a huge knotted nautical rope in Secluded Bay for the whales to play with. Bella and Miki were doing headstands on the bottom as they jostled to grab the end of the rope in their mouths. The calf used his head, literally, to push the big rope away from both of them. Did I see him crack a smile?
For his public debut last week, the beluga calf was in the reassuring company of mom Puiji and "auntie" Naya, our reliable beluga babysitter. But he is so focused on Mom, Naya and having fun – playing with toys, zooming around the pool – that he hasn’t noticed the guests yet!
The wraps come off the beluga calf today with the removal of the privacy wall around Secluded Bay. While the underwater views of the belugas from Polar Play Zone are great, you will definitely want to see the little guy, with mom Puiji and "auntie" Naya, from topside.
Mom Puiji and her calf can have fun with a Frisbee, but belugas are inventive when it comes to games, and anything can be a toy. Like skin. The calf, who turns 13 weeks old today, is shedding his skin in sheets as he grows. (He weighs more than 325 pounds now – double his birth weight of 162!) He’s had help sloughing the old skin from Mom and Naya, the other adult female beluga currently in Secluded Bay with him. They peel the skin off with their mouths and let it go. Then the calf plays with the fragments as they float in the water.
Puiji’s calf, who turned 7 weeks old on Monday, is one plump little beluga. He has just about filled out his fetal folds, the deep wrinkles in his sides from when he was tucked in the womb. The trainers estimate that he’s gained at least 60 pounds since he was born, putting him at more than 220 pounds. He’s longer, too. Of course, he’s nursing from his mom and from the two other females in Puiji’s social group, Naya and Mauyak, so he’s getting plenty of nourishment.
At this point, the calf makes it look easy as he sails over to one whale or another to nurse. But in the beginning, imagine how hard it is when mom doesn’t have arms to cradle and baby doesn’t have hands to grasp – and both are swimming.
That’s why Shedd’s animal care team members wait anxiously for each beluga calf to figure out where the milk is and how to get it. They heaved a collective sigh of relief when Puiji’s calf started nursing when he was 24 hours old – thanks in large part to Puiji’s ability to guide the little guy to the right place while he was having early difficulties diving to reach her mammary glands.
In a matter of days, however, the calf became a nimble swimmer, ducking under mom, bumping her mammary glands with his head – stimulating milk production – and latching on for a meal.
When he nurses, he rolls his tongue into a soda-straw-like tube. Once the calf has his mouth firmly on the mammary, Puiji contracts the muscles around the gland to give him a high-pressure squirt of milk that is about 27 percent butterfat. (For comparison, half-and-half is about 11 percent, premium ice creams can run as high as 18 percent, and whipped cream is about 35 percent butterfat.) The calf nurses about every 30 minutes, getting two to six good long draws each time. And if Mom is tired but the calf wants more, he switches to Naya or Mauyak.
Be sure to visit Puiji’s calf soon in Polar Play Zone, and check out other beluga calf updates, including videos, downloadable activities, coupons, and more!
