Belugas flirt and fight by morphing their “melons”

Beluga whales use their “melon,” a mass of fat tissue on their forehead, to project sounds for echolocation. New research suggests that belugas shake, wiggle, thrust and bump these bulbous blobs to convey something a little like facial ex­pressions 😉 😡
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🎤 Carin Leong
✏️ Jude Coleman and Monique Brouillette
🎞️ Chris Schodt
📸 Richard, J.T., Pellegrini, I. & Levine, R. Belugas (Delphinapterus leucas) create facial displays during social interactions by changing the shape of their melons. Anim Cogn 27, 7 (2024). doi.org/10.100..., Getty Images
🎨 Amanda Montanez
🎵 Epidemic Sound