CHICAGO — Charlie Jacobsma slapped the surface of a pool enclosure at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium and scanned the water for movement.
Moments later, the head of a beluga calf emerged, mouth agape in what looked like a smile. Jacobsma’s face lit up in response as he cooed to the calf like a human parent to a toddler.
Shedd’s animal care team described its newest resident, born to 35-year-old resident beluga Naya in July 2024, as just that.
“Like a toddler that’s learning to talk and making noises, he’s the same way,” said Jacobsma, director of animal behavior and training at Shedd. “He’s just constantly growing and developing.”
The calf received several herrings from Jacobsma, who noted the baby whale has yet to grow in his teeth.
For the aquarium staff, every birth is significant and the first beluga born at Shedd in four years was no different. Shedd staff have witnessed 15 beluga births since 1991.
There was an all-hands-on-deck approach that summer evening, with divers in the water to ensure success. Bella, another female in the enclosure, helped the newborn to the surface before Naya took over.
Baby boy beluga — his current moniker — is slowly being introduced to the rest of Shedd’s pod of eight whales. Aquarium members are voting on options for the calf’s name.
In the wild, belugas live in remote arctic and sub-arctic waters where it is hard to gather research. Much of what humans know about belugas, especially births, comes from aquariums, Jacobsma said.
The largest beluga whales at the aquarium have grown as long as 14 feet (4.26 meters) and weigh over 2,000 pounds (900 kilograms), and it is not uncommon for them to live into their 30s under human care, according to Kayley Galassini, a Shedd spokesperson. Some of the belugas born at Shedd are moved to other accredited aquariums once they have reached maturity, she said.
Shedd’s animals are trained to voluntarily participate in their own healthcare, so staff are able to monitor pregnancies through ultrasounds and other care.
What surprises Jacobsma about this young whale and the rest of the Shedd’s pod?
Tongue tickles.
“I don’t know who the first person was to put their hand in a beluga’s mouth to figure it out, but it’s very sensitive in their mouth, probably from the prey that they eat at the bottom of the ocean,” Jacobsma said. “It’s almost like petting a dog or a cat, and you’ll see them come up and want to interact with us and open up their mouth wide for those tongue tickles.”