Amongst these are its all-white colour and the absence of a dorsal fin, which allows it to swim under ice with ease. The beluga is adapted to life in the Arctic, with anatomical and physiological characteristics that differentiate it from other cetaceans. It is also known as the white whale, as it is the only cetacean to regularly occur with this colour the sea canary, due to its high-pitched calls and the melonhead, though that more commonly refers to the melon-headed whale, which is an oceanic dolphin.
It is one of two members of the family Monodontidae, along with the narwhal, and the only member of the genus Delphinapterus. The beluga whale ( / b ɪ ˈ l uː ɡ ə/) ( Delphinapterus leucas) is an Arctic and sub-Arctic cetacean.
