Beluga whales, recognized by their white color and complex vocalizations, are Arctic mammals. The answer to whether they possess teeth is yes. As members of the suborder Odontoceti (toothed whales), belugas rely on these structures for survival. Understanding their dentition reveals much about their specialized hunting and feeding strategies in the Arctic ecosystem.
Beluga Dental Anatomy
Belugas possess a complete set of teeth distributed across both their upper and lower jaws. An individual typically has between 32 and 40 teeth in total, arranged as 8 to 11 pairs in each jaw. These teeth are small, uniform, and peg-like in shape, unlike the sharp structures seen in many predators.
The conical, slightly curved teeth are not adapted for chewing or slicing prey into smaller pieces. Their primary function is grasping and securely holding slippery prey items.
The teeth are embedded in the jawbone. They do not fully erupt until the whale is around two to three years old, suggesting a reduced need for functional teeth during the earliest years of life.
Feeding Mechanics and Diet
The primary function of the beluga’s peg-like teeth is to secure prey, not to masticate it, meaning most food is swallowed whole. Belugas are opportunistic feeders, and their varied diet consists of relatively small marine organisms.
Their diet includes fish and invertebrates found on the seafloor:
- Arctic cod, salmon, and smelt
- Squid, octopus, and various crustaceans
The most common feeding method is suction feeding, where the whale creates a powerful vacuum to pull prey in. They also use their flexible necks to forage along the seabed, sometimes expelling water to dislodge hidden organisms. The teeth work with this suction capability, acting as a final barrier to prevent the escape of the captured meal.
Some belugas exhibit cooperative hunting, working together to herd schools of fish into shallow water. This collective effort allows them to secure larger quantities of food.
Belugas and Their Closest Relative: The Narwhal
The beluga whale shares the Monodontidae family with only one other living species: the narwhal. Both are medium-sized toothed whales adapted to life in the Arctic, but their dentition has evolved along vastly different paths.
While the beluga maintains a full set of numerous, simple, peg-like teeth, the narwhal possesses only two teeth in its upper jaw. In female narwhals, these teeth typically remain embedded and do not erupt.
For the male narwhal, the left tooth develops into the species’ most recognized feature: a single, elongated, spiraled tusk that can grow up to ten feet long. This structure is used for sensory perception and social behavior. This contrasts sharply with the beluga’s teeth, which are strictly for handling food.