Beluga Whales belong to the same family as Narwhal and are sometimes called "Melonheads" because of the shape of their heads. The bulbous structure of the whale's forehead is called a melon and is believed to aid them in echolocation. They are also called "sea canary" this comes from the whale's rich and varied vocal range. They would normally be found in the Arctic and subarctic waters. The distinctive white colour of the adults helps them blend into their arctic surroundings and acts as a camouflage to protect them from Polar Bears and Killer Whales. Unlike other whale's they have no dorsal fin, this is thought to help prevent heat loss in the Arctic waters.
The whale was still being reported this morning, so we decided to head for Gravesend and hope to get a sighting of it. We parked close to the Ship and Lobster pub along Mark Lane and headed East along Saxon Shore Way. After a walk of around 1.5 miles, we reached the three barges where the whale had been seen most reliably. After a wait of around thirty minutes, the whale was spotted close to the third barge. We watched it for over an hour, and it followed the same pattern throughout our stay. It surfaced to breathe 4 times then the tail flicked up and that was the moment it dived. It would surface again five minutes later, and it was so reliable you could set your watch by it.
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