Take a look in the shallow coastal waters of the Arctic, and you might just spot a beluga whale. They don't look like your typical whale, though. Adapting to life among sea ice, belugas are all white in color. They also have a ridge on their back instead of a dorsal fin, and a thick layer of blubber. Scientists believe they evolved this way to stay warm in their icy Arctic surroundings. That lump on the beluga's head is called a melon, and it can actually change shape. Scientists think this affects how they use sound as sonar to locate food and to find breathing holes in the Arctic ice sheet. During the colder months, as the Arctic water freezes over and the ice thickens, belugas will migrate south to avoid getting trapped in the ice. They don't want to fall prey to the polar bears or killer whales that hunt them. And that's life with the ice for beluga whales. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration: www.noaa.gov/ NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research: explore.noaa.gov/ The Hidden Ocean, Arctic 2005 Exploration: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/05arctic/ NOAA Office of Coast Survey: www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/ Vancouver Aquarium: Fwww.vanaqua.org

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