Athena
Known for their “chattiness”, belugas lead active social lives.
They are arctic whales, but Athena belonged to a small population residing farther south, namely in the St. Lawrence.
Researchers from the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) first photographed Athena in 1989.
Years in which Athena was observed.
Researchers from the Group for Research and Education on Marine Mammals (GREMM) first photographed Athena in 1989.
Amongst other field marks, she can be recognized by the deep scar with jagged contours on her right side. Ever since this first encounter, she has been seen every year except for 1990.
Credits: GREMM
Athena’s back (right flank) photographed in 2018.
Years in which Athena was observed.
On July 29, 2018, a beluga carcass is spotted by two individuals in the Saguenay Fjord. They contact Marine Mammal Emergencies. Thanks to their photos, researchers are able to recognize Athena !
On July 29, 2018, a beluga carcass is spotted by two individuals in the Saguenay Fjord. They contact Marine Mammal Emergencies. Thanks to their photos, researchers are able to recognize Athena !
And yet, she had been photographed alive and well just two days earlier! She is transported to the Université de Montreal’s Faculty of Veterinary Medicine for a necropsy (an autopsy performed on an animal). Despite the analysis, scientists were unable to pinpoint the cause of Athena’s death. Athena died at the age of 45.
Credits: Raymond Cardin
Athena's carcass drifting in the Saguenay Fjord. It is realized that this is not a beluga at rest but rather a carcass, as the animal is turned on its side and its pectoral fin is visible.
Credits: GREMM
The carcass of DL0030, a.k.a. Athena, is removed from the water and transported to the Université de Montréal's Faculty of Veterinary Medicine.
Credits: GREMM
Stéphane Lair and his team from the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at Université de Montréal perform a necropsy to try to pinpoint the cause(s) of mortality. (Not Athena in this photo, but an adult male beluga)
When Athena was encountered for the first time, she was at least 14 years old. How do we know? Because she was already all white.
When Athena was encountered for the first time, she was at least 14 years old. How do we know? Because she was already all white.
Belugas change in colour as they age! Café au lait in colour at birth, they later turn bluish-grey and then all grey around the age of 3. Later they grow paler, turning really white between the ages of 14 and 16.
Credits: GREMM
These three belugas can be ranked from oldest to youngest by their colour, with the darkest being the youngest and the lightest, the oldest.
Credits: GREMM
Adult female and her first-year calf.
Credits: GREMM
Adult female with a one- or two-year-old calf, which French speakers sometimes refer to as a bleuvet due to its bluish-grey colour.
Athena belonged to the beluga community that frequents the Saguenay Fjord. Research has shown that belugas use the same territory every summer.
Upstream sector
Sector frequented by groups of females and their young.
Credits: GREMM
Belugas opposite the “Brandy Pot” islands (Îles du Pot à l’Eau-de-Vie)
Centre sector
This was Athena's sector. This area, which includes the Saguenay Fjord, is frequented by females and their calves, juveniles and groups of adult males.
Credits: GREMM
Belugas in Baie Sainte-Marguerite in the Saguenay Fjord
Downstream sector
This sector is mostly frequented by groups of adult males.
Credits: GREMM
Belugas opposite to “Pointe Sauvage” in Bergeronnes
Athena belonged to the beluga community that frequents the Saguenay Fjord. Research has shown that belugas use the same territory every summer.
Males and females generally stay in separate groups. They also associate with certain individuals more frequently than others. Athena's swimming companions were Slash, Blanche, Blanchon, Griffon and Élizabeth.
In summer, the St. Lawrence beluga’s distribution is centred around Tadoussac. The population is divided into three main sectors: the upstream sector, the central sector and the downstream sector.
To keep in touch with her companions or relocate them after a separation, Athena probably used what is called a “contact call”.
To keep in touch with her companions or relocate them after a separation, Athena probably used what is called a “contact call”.
Our collaborator Valeria Vergara of Ocean Wise has discovered that this is the first call belugas learn as calves, but they must practise so that it becomes as loud and clear as that of the adults.
Credits: Valeria Vergara, Ocean Wise
The images and sounds were captured in Baie Sainte-Marguerite (a bay in the Saguenay) using a drone and a hydrophone. We can hear the belugas making contact calls, which sound like creaking doors.
Under water, light is scarce, but sound travels nearly 5 times faster than it does in the air.
For a whale, hearing is far more useful than vision and serves as much to communicate as to find one’s bearings !
Whales produce a wide variety of sounds, and belugas in particular boast one of the most diverse repertoires of any cetacean.
Beluga
Humpback whale
Blue whale
Whales produce a wide variety of sounds, and belugas in particular boast one of the most diverse repertoires of any cetacean.
Many sounds emitted by whales are beyond the range of human hearing. They are sometimes too high (ultrasounds) or too low (infrasounds) to be heard.
How do Athena and other toothed whales produce sounds ?
Sounds are not produced by vocal cords in the larynx like in humans, but by similar structures found inside the blowhole. Whales therefore do not need to open their mouths to communicate, as sound is transmitted directly through the melon.
How do Athena and other toothed whales produce sounds ?
Sounds are not produced by vocal cords in the larynx like in humans, but by similar structures found inside the blowhole. Whales therefore do not need to open their mouths to communicate, as sound is transmitted directly through the melon.
1. First, air passes through the nasal passages, vibrates the phonic lips and produces sound. It’s almost like these whales are talking through their nose!
2. Then the sound waves pass through the melon before being emitted into the environment. The melon acts as an acoustic lens. In other words, the melon will adjust the sounds a little like a lens adjusts images.
3. Lastly, how do whales produce sounds while holding their breath? Try it for yourself... you’ll see that it does not work very well. Thanks to their vestibular sacs, whales can store and reuse air to produce sounds.
How do baleen whales produce sounds ?
Baleen whales do not have phonic lips or melons. Rather, it is believed that their sounds are produced in the throat, a bit like humans with our vocal cords.
How do baleen whales produce sounds ?
Baleen whales do not have phonic lips or melons. Rather, it is believed that their sounds are produced in the throat, a bit like humans with our vocal cords.
But to avoid letting the air escape, they also have an organ in their larynx called the laryngeal sac. This allows them to recycle the air and make a new sound without having to take another breath.
How do whales hear ?
Sounds are received by the jaw and transmitted to the tympanic bulla. This causes the ossicles to vibrate, which causes the cochlea to vibrate, which then sends the signal to the brain.
How do whales hear ?
Sounds are received by the jaw and transmitted to the tympanic bulla. This causes the ossicles to vibrate, which causes the cochlea to vibrate, which then sends the signal to the brain.
1. It is believed that sounds are first received by the jaw. Unlike humans, whales do not have external ears. The jawbone of whales is hollow and contains fatty tissue called the acoustic window.
2. Sounds then travel through the acoustic window to the tympanic bulla (the bone that protects the middle ear). In whales, this is found outside the skull and has a very thick wall.
3. Next, the sound vibrates the tympanic bulla, which vibrates the small bones inside, which in turn vibrate the cochlea (the tiny spiral-shaped organ of the inner ear). The cochlea then sends the signal to the brain.
How does echolocation work ?
Echolocation allows toothed whales to know not only how far away an object is, but also how dense it is. It works like a natural sonar. The whale produces ultra-high frequency clicks and then picks up their echoes.
How does echolocation work ?
Echolocation allows toothed whales to know not only how far away an object is, but also how dense it is. It works like a natural sonar. The whale produces ultra-high frequency clicks and then picks up their echoes.
Try it for yourself !
Give a little tap to a piece of metal, wood or glass. Does it make the same sound ? No, it does not. Likewise, the echo returning to the whale will vary depending on the density of the object or the prey in question.
If sound is so important to whales, what happens when their acoustic world becomes cluttered with noise ?
Over the course of her life, Athena swam in increasingly noisy waters. More boat traffic means more noise.
Over the course of her life, Athena swam in increasingly noisy waters. More boat traffic means more noise.
If we add to that other activities such as underwater construction or exploration for mineral or petroleum resources, just imagine the racket!
Credits: GREMM
Anytime a ship would pass through her sector, Athena probably had more difficulty hearing her companions or locating food.
Anytime a ship would pass through her sector, Athena probably had more difficulty hearing her companions or locating food.
To adapt to noise, some whales raise their voices, repeat themselves more often, or simply stop vocalizing. It’s the same with humans... Pay attention the next time you try to talk in a noisy environment.
Credits: Valeria Vergara, Ocean Wise
The belugas wait for the noise to stop before resuming their communication.
Not being able to hear well can increase stress levels, compromise whales’ ability to feed or sever the bond between a mother and her calf.
Not being able to hear well can increase stress levels, compromise whales’ ability to feed or sever the bond between a mother and her calf.
Belugas make great use of sound to locate food and to stay in touch with the rest of their pod. For newborns, the contact calls used to stay in touch with their mothers lie in the same frequencies as the noise generated by motors, making them even more likely to be masked.
Credits: GREMM
The bond between a mother and her newborn is very strong, and is essential for the survival of the young beluga for the first two years of its life.
How can we mitigate noise pollution ?
Simply slowing down can help make a watercraft quieter.
By protecting areas from boat traffic or other noisy activities, quieter areas known as acoustic refuges are created.
How can we mitigate noise pollution ?
Simply slowing down can help make a watercraft quieter.
In the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park, amongst other noise-reduction measures in beluga habitat, merchant ships are requested to voluntarily reduce their speed to 10 knots. According to collected data, the majority of vessels are currently complying with this request.
Credits: GREMM
The engine turns the propellers, which drive the boat. The more the boat accelerates, the faster its engine and therefore its propellers turn. This usually produces more noise as well.
How can we mitigate noise pollution ?
By protecting areas from boat traffic or other noisy activities, quieter areas known as acoustic refuges are created.
This is the case with Baie Sainte-Marguerite in the Saguenay Fjord. Since 2018, this gathering place for belugas from Athena’s community has been closed to boating during the summer months.
Credits: GREMM
Baie Saint-Marguerite is a gathering place for many St. Lawrence belugas.
What can we do to help mitigate noise pollution ?
Pleasure craft are a common sight on the St. Lawrence and Saguenay. It is therefore possible to do your part by paying attention to your own behaviour when you’re out on the water.
What can we do to help mitigate noise pollution ?
Pleasure craft are a common sight on the St. Lawrence and Saguenay. It is therefore possible to do your part by paying attention to your own behaviour when you’re out on the water.
For example, by reducing your speed and keeping your distance from belugas and other marine mammals, you can help improve their acoustic environment.
Credits: GREMM
Many boaters navigate through whale habitat, and they all have a role to play to ensure a peaceful coexistence with marine mammals and other wildlife.
Now that you’ve heard Athena's story, let’s go meet the other whales!
Beluga whale
Delphinapterus leucas
Characteristics
Belugas of the St. Lawrence
Weight
700 to 1500 kg up to 2000 kg
Length
2.5 to 4.5 m up to 5 m
Lifespan
60 years
Population
900-1000 individuals
Status
Endangered
Athena
Weight
633 kg
Length
3.63 m
Birth - Death
1973 - July 2018
ID number
DL0030
Sex
Female
Photo of a real beluga skeleton. However, it is not Athena, as her skeleton was never preserved. Very little is known about this individual, who was recovered in the St. Lawrence in the 1980s. But who knows, Athena may have already swam with this beluga!
Beluga whale
Delphinapterus leucas
Characteristics
Belugas of the St. Lawrence
Weight
700 to 1500 kg up to 2000 kg
Length
2.5 to 4.5 m up to 5 m
Lifespan
60 years
Population
900-1000 individuals
Status
Endangered
Athena
Weight
633 kg
Length
3.63 m
Birth - Death
1973 - July 2018
ID number
DL0030
Sex
Female
Photo of a real beluga skeleton. However, it is not Athena, as her skeleton was never preserved. Very little is known about this individual, who was recovered in the St. Lawrence in the 1980s. But who knows, Athena may have already swam with this beluga!
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