|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries: |
Research categories | Follow us on Twitter |
Research categories
View all topics in the newsView all reference sources at Encyclopedia.com |
|||
beluga
beluga or white whale, small, toothed northern whale , Delphinapterus leucas. The beluga may reach a length of 19 ft (5.8 m) and a weight of 4,400 lb (2,000 kg). It has a small, round head, with a short, broad, beaklike snout, and a flexible neck; its flippers are short, broad, and rounded, and it lacks a dorsal fin. It produces a variety of noises and is sometimes called a sea canary. The young are born with dark fur but become almost pure white in maturity. Belugas winter in the Arctic Ocean, feeding upon crustaceans, fish, and squid; they are often found in groups of several hundred individuals. They mate in spring, and in summer they enter northern rivers. The young are born after a gestation period of 14 months, one calf every second year. The beluga is hunted by the Eskimo for food and by commercial whalers for its hide, which is known as porpoise hide. Beluga is also the common name of the largest of the sturgeons . Beluga whales are classified in the phylum Chordata , subphylum Vertebrata, class Mammalia, order Cetacea, family Monodontidae. |
|
|
Cite this article
"beluga." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "beluga." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-beluga.html "beluga." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-beluga.html |
|
beluga
be·lu·ga / bəˈloōgə/ • n. (pl. same or belugas ) 1. a small, white-toothed whale (Delphinapterus leucas, family Monodontidae) related to the narwhal, living in herds mainly in Arctic coastal waters. Also called white whale. 2. a very large sturgeon (Huso huso) occurring in the inland seas and associated rivers of central Eurasia. ∎ (also beluga caviar) caviar obtained from this fish. |
|
|
Cite this article
"beluga." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "beluga." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-beluga.html "beluga." The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English. 2009. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O999-beluga.html |
|
beluga
|
|
|
Cite this article
"beluga." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "beluga." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-beluga.html "beluga." World Encyclopedia. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O142-beluga.html |
|
beluga
beluga great sturgeon; white whale. XVIII (in XVI bellougina). — Russ. belúga (in the latter sense also belúkha), f. bélȳľ white.
|
|
|
Cite this article
T. F. HOAD. "beluga." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "beluga." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-beluga.html T. F. HOAD. "beluga." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-beluga.html |
|
beluga
beluga Russian name for the white sturgeon (Acipenser huro), whose roe forms the most prized caviar.
|
|
|
Cite this article
DAVID A. BENDER. "beluga." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. DAVID A. BENDER. "beluga." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-beluga.html DAVID A. BENDER. "beluga." A Dictionary of Food and Nutrition. 2005. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O39-beluga.html |
|
beluga
|
|
|
Cite this article
MICHAEL ALLABY. "beluga." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. MICHAEL ALLABY. "beluga." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-beluga.html MICHAEL ALLABY. "beluga." A Dictionary of Zoology. 1999. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O8-beluga.html |
|
beluga
beluga
•dogger, flogger, Hoggar, hogger, jogger, logger, slogger, Wagga Wagga
•brolga, Olga, Volga
•conga, conger, donga, Rarotonga
•pettifogger • footslogger
•cataloguer (US cataloger)
•auger, augur
•ogre, Saratoga, toga, yoga
•beluga, cougar, Kaluga, Kruger, Luger
•sugar, Zeebrugge
•bugger, hugger, lugger, mugger, plugger, rugger, slugger, Srinagar, tugger
•mulga, vulgar
•hunger, sangha, Younger
•scandalmonger • scaremonger
•fishmonger
•warmonger, whoremonger
•ironmonger • hugger-mugger
•costermonger • Málaga
•Berger, burger, burgher
•hamburger • beefburger
•cheeseburger • Limburger
•Vegeburger • Erzgebirge
•Luxembourger
|
|
|
Cite this article
"beluga." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. 11 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "beluga." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Encyclopedia.com. (February 11, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-beluga.html "beluga." Oxford Dictionary of Rhymes. 2007. Retrieved February 11, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O233-beluga.html |
|
|
Search over 100 encyclopedias and dictionaries:
HighBeam™ Research, Inc. © Copyright 2012. All rights reserved.
The Encyclopedia.com advertising network includes:
