In Canada, scientists captured images of a narwhal in a pod of beluga whales. The narwhal likely came into contact with the whales when it was still very young. At a young age, they looked very similar, so the whales accepted it as one of their own.
In the St. Lawrence River (Canada), scientists captured images of beluga whales, including an adult narwhal. According to one of the researchers, the narwhal's behavior was no different from that of the belugas, who, in turn, treated the narwhal as a fellow whale.
The narwhal most likely came to the whales as a very small cub. Because young narwhals closely resemble small beluga whales, they mistook it for one of their own.
Moreover, this narwhal was not simply swimming among the belugas, it was following them to the south, where narwhals usually do not swim.
It also turned out that this wasn't the only instance of a narwhal being found among belugas. This was observed two years earlier, and judging by the narwhal's coloring, it was the same individual seen recently.
Although this narwhal is already fully grown and has a dark coat and a large horn, its differences don't bother the beluga whales. This phenomenon gives scientists pause. The Arctic is warming, and due to climate change, narwhals and whales will increasingly interbreed. Perhaps in the future, we might even see a narwhal-beluga hybrid.
