14 DAY TRIAL // Beluga whales are now making their way north, and there is little denying that seeing them swim around in groups made up of hundreds of individuals truly is an impressive sight.
A group of such marine mammals has recently swum by Canada's Somerset Island. Either because they were really tired or simply because they liked the landscape, they decided to spend some time in these waters.
Witnesses say that the beluga whales kept jumping in and out of the water, and that they spent many minutes playing around.
A picture showing the marine mammals swimming around Somerset Island is made available to you next to this article.
Wildlife researchers explain that beluga whales, which typically measure about 18 feet (5.4 meters) in length once they reach adulthood, travel south each and every winter.
They do so to avoid getting trapped in the ice that starts towering over oceanic waters in this part of the world, Daily Mail details.
As soon as winter months come to an end and the ice begins to thaw and melt away, the belugas embark on the same journey, only that this time, they're traveling north.
Along the way, the marine mammals make several stops. During this time, they feed on cod, squid, herring, halibut and other fish species that they chance to come across.
“I made the special trip to Somerset Island where the belugas feed on squid and cod and nurse their young. The whales also rub themselves on the rocks in the shallow water as part of their annual moult,” 64-year-old photographer Flip Nicklin, who had the opportunity to have a close look at these marine mammals, told the press.
“I had heard about this annual event a few years ago and I was excited to go and see it,” the photographer added.
Belugas are currently listed as a threatened species. The marine mammals mostly have to fear orcas and polar bears, who are their natural predators.
However, native tribes in North America also hunt them every once in a while.