Social Expert
Photograph by Robyn Angliss
National
Marine Mammal Laboratory
Alaska
Fisheries Science Center
You are in charge of being an
expert in the social life and habitation of Beluga whales as well as understanding
how they adapt and their general behavior. In order to understand your
role better, read the following summaries and driving questions pertaining
to your tasks during the creation of your proposal:
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It is your duty to research the habitat
of Beluga whales. You must decide how much water this Beluga whale will
need to live in, as a baby and as an adult. You have one chance to make
this tank, in other words take note of the general trend in changes of
size of the Beluga whale as he gets older. During your research be sure
to pay attention to the units; you should be using US Customary units (length:
inches, feet, yards, centimeters, and meters; weight/mass: ounces, pounds,
grams, and kilograms).
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Does it matter what type of water the
Beluga whale lives in? Who will be in charge of this at the aquarium?
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What is the expected behavior of a Beluga
whale? Is he friendly or vicious? Does he need special attention to survive?
Does he need to have company in his tank? If he will not be living alone,
be sure to take this into account when deciding on tank size and water.
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Now it is time to think ahead! Your
Beluga whale is 18 months when you find him. Your research must include
how his behavior will change as he gets older. If he needs another animal
to live with, will he want to live with it forever? What kind of animal
will it be? What gender? How old?
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Will this Beluga whale enjoy visitors?
Will he like being on display or could it cause him to get violent? Is
he able to be trained? Will he do tricks and perform shows? Is it a good
idea to show this whale off to the public? Why or why not?
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How does this whale reproduce? How often?
If they have children, where will they they live? Will this affect tank
size?
The following links will aid you
in your research. They have been chosen for you because for the depth and
breadth of information they contain. Use your expertise wisely to choose
the statistics about the whale (baby and adult) so that your group can
design the best and most appropriate proposal.