Beluga whales appear to change the shape of their heads during encounters with one another in what scientists believe is a form of visual communication among this highly social species.

In the beluga, however, the melon also seems to have another use. Belugas’ melons are strikingly large and, uniquely, they are also malleable, because belugas have facial muscles that can pull ...

Beluga whales appear to communicate by altering their head shape, according to new research. Photo from Insung Yoon, UnSplash You’ve heard of talking heads on TV.

“Beluga whales are considered unique among [toothed whales] in their ability to visibly alter the appearance of their head by changing the shape of the melon,” write the authors of the new study.

The beluga whale’s “melon”—a tech­nical term—is a mass of fat tissue on its forehead that helps to project sounds for echolocation.And new research suggests that despite whales ...

In Canada, this means many beluga whales take refuge in the Churchill River, which feeds into Hudson Bay near Churchill, Manitoba. Of the roughly 150,000 beluga whales in the world, an estimated ...

Beluga whales appear to communicate by altering their head shape, according to new research. Photo from Insung Yoon, UnSplash You’ve heard of talking heads on TV.

Beluga whales appear to communicate by altering their head shape, according to new research. Photo from Insung Yoon, UnSplash You’ve heard of talking heads on TV.

Beluga whales appear to communicate by altering their head shape, according to new research. Photo from Insung Yoon, UnSplash You’ve heard of talking heads on TV.

Beluga whales appear to communicate by altering their head shape, according to new research. Photo from Insung Yoon, UnSplash You’ve heard of talking heads on TV.