Are beluga whales dolphins?

The beluga was first described in 1776 by Peter Simon Pallas. It is a member of the Monodontidae family, which is in turn part of the parvorder Odontoceti (toothed whales). The Irrawaddy dolphin was once placed in the same family; recent genetic evidence suggests these dolphins belong to the family Delphinidae. read more

So, even though the sperm whale, and the killer whale and beluga whale, etc. are all whales, they are closer to dolphins than to the baleen whales in the phylogenetic tree. Thus, the term 'whale' is not that important, because basically it means a medium to large size cetacean. read more

Interestingly, the beluga whale is the only species of cetacean (whales and dolphins) that has a movable neck. Belugas can move their heads up and down and from side to side. Beluga whales are restricted to the Arctic Ocean and adjacent waters. read more

The beluga whale or white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean. It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. read more

A beluga whale living in captivity with a pod of bottlenose dolphins has learned their language of whistles and clicks, scientists believe. The four-year-old whale was moved to live with dolphins in the Koktebel dolphinarium in Crimea, in 2013 but initially struggled to communicate with her new tank mates. read more