A narwhal observed in the St. Lawrence river

Photo courtesy of Gremm

QMI agency

Tuesday, 22 August 2017 11:05

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Tuesday, 22 August 2017 11:05

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A whale in particular has again been observed in the river over the last few days. A young narwhal seems to have adopted the St. Lawrence river.

The same narwhal, who was seen last summer, off Trois-Pistoles, was again observed at the mouth of the Saguenay in the last few days.

An observation unusual to scientists in the GREMM, Group for research and education on marine mammals. It is a whale that normally lives in the arctic waters of Canada, the Groendland, Norway and Russia.

What does the narwhal still in the St. Lawrence river? Just like last summer, he was watched while he swam in a group of beluga whales.

“Casual observation, however, has not allowed us to verify the identity of beluga whales which accompanied the immigrant. Is it the same fellow as last year?” inquired the GREMM.

For the researchers, it is intriguing to see that beluga whales can accept only a whale of another species becomes part of their group.

According to GREMM, a narwhal had already been observed by a researcher in August 2003, during a flight over for the enumeration of beluga whales, carried out by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. The whale was in full heart of the marine park, between Les Bergeronnes and Tadoussac.