Beluga or narwhal?
How to tell them apart
Narwhals and belugas are close relatives, similarly built and known to interbreed; only the narwhal has a tusk.
Quick answers
They give the same 8 quick answers, so in the game it comes down to the clues below.
| Question | Beluga | Narwhal |
|---|---|---|
| What is it? | Mammal | Mammal |
| Carnivore? | Yes | Yes |
| Dangerous? | No | No |
| Domesticated? | No | No |
| Awake when? | Day & night | Day & night |
| Hibernates? | No | No |
| Kept as a pet? | No | No |
| Do people eat it? | In places | In places |
At a glance
| Question | Beluga | Narwhal |
|---|---|---|
| Found in | Arctic, Oceans | Arctic, Oceans |
| Habitat differs | Polar, Open ocean, Coast | Polar, Open ocean |
| Size | Huge | Huge |
| Length differs | – | 4–5 m |
| Weight differs | – | 900–1,600 kg |
| Legs | None | None |
| Covered in | Skin | Skin |
| Lives | In pods | In pods |
| Lives for differs | 35–50 years | 50 years |
| Can fly | No | No |
| Swims | Yes | Yes |
| Lays eggs | No | No |
About each
Beluga
An all-white whale of the Arctic and sub-Arctic, the narwhal’s closest relative. It has no dorsal fin, which helps it swim under ice, and a very bulbous melon on its forehead for echolocation.
Narwhal
A toothed whale of the Arctic, closely related to the beluga. Males have a spiralled tusk 1.5–3 m long, an overgrown left canine tooth.
Everything on the narwhal page
Sources
Last reviewed . The answers and notes come from each animal's own page, where every source is listed.
How each answer is decided: How we answer. More look-alikes: Side by side.