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A Long-Term Genetic Study in Alaska Provided New Insights Into How Belugas Breed Away From The Coast, Revealing Previously Unobserved Patterns in Isolated Populations and Helping to Understand How These Animals Maintain Genetic Diversity in Extreme Environments.
For decades, the reproductive behavior of belugas, also known as white whales, remained poorly documented outside coastal areas.
A study based on genetic analyses conducted in Bristol Bay, Alaska, provided new data on how these animals form pairs over time and how this dynamic reflects the maintenance of genetic diversity in a population considered isolated.
The results were published in January 2026 in the scientific journal Frontiers in Marine Science and gathered information from 623 individuals.
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The research indicates that males and females do not maintain a single partner throughout their reproductive lives.
According to the authors, the data indicate that both alternate partners between different seasons, resulting in a family structure primarily composed of half-siblings, with only one parent in common.
Genetic Study Transforms Bristol Bay Into A Scientific Reference
The population of belugas in Bristol Bay was monitored over 13 years.
During this period, researchers collected small tissue samples, used to create genetic profiles and reconstruct kinship relations among the animals.
This information was cross-referenced with age data and records of social associations observed in the field.
As a genetically distinct group, with low evidence of exchange with other populations, the region provided favorable conditions for the study.
According to the researchers, this isolation reduces external interference and allows for a more precise analysis of how reproductive success is distributed over time within the group itself.
The work also involved the collaboration of local communities from Alaska.
Some of the samples were obtained with the support of subsistence hunters, in partnership with universities and state agencies involved in monitoring the species.
DNA Reveals Breeding Patterns of Belugas
Prior to genetic analysis, scientists considered it plausible that few males concentrated the majority of copulations in each season.
This expectation was based on the sexual dimorphism of the species, as adult males are larger, and the fact that females do not reproduce every year.
However, the results did not fully confirm this scenario.
The analyses indicated that both males and females had offspring with different partners over the years evaluated.
Furthermore, according to the study, the concentration of calves among few individuals was relatively low in the short term.
The data showed a slightly greater variation in reproductive success among males than among females.
This pattern suggests that some parents had more offspring than others.
Nonetheless, the authors emphasize that there was no evidence of a small group of males consistently dominating reproduction.
In the scientific literature, this arrangement is described as compatible with a polygnandrous system, in which individuals of both sexes mate with multiple partners over time.
As a consequence, the kinship network tends to be more distributed within the population.
Challenges of Observing Belugas in Open Ocean
One of the points highlighted by researchers is the difficulty of directly observing the reproductive behavior of belugas.
The species spends a large part of its time submerged in cold and often murky waters, which limits the visual record of mating.
For this reason, genetics has become a central tool for the study.
The reconstruction of family trees allowed for inferring patterns that would rarely be identified through direct observation, especially in remote environments and those subject to ice cover.
Reproduction and Genetic Diversity in Isolated Populations
According to the authors of the study, the alternation of partners between different seasons may help to reduce the risk of inbreeding in populations with little influx of new individuals.
By distributing reproduction among various combinations, the genetic diversity tends to be preserved more broadly over generations.
The materials for scientific dissemination accompanying the article also point out that the longevity of belugas may favor this type of strategy.
As they live for several decades, reproductive success does not depend on a single period, but accumulates over time.
The Role of Females in Reproductive Dynamics
In a statement released by the journal, researcher Greg O’Corry-Crowe stated that the study helps fill gaps regarding a species that is difficult to track.
According to him, these are animals that live “under the waves of the cold and often frozen north.”
According to the researcher, the results contrast with the initial expectation of reproduction concentrated in few males.
Based on the presented data, researchers assess that the reproduction of belugas involves a more distributed social dynamic, which reorganizes between seasons.
In this context, partner choices do not seem to be associated solely with direct contests.
They appear to be related to interactions that vary over time within the group.
Based on genetic analysis, the study offers a more detailed picture of how reproduction occurs in open ocean, without direct observation of events.
The research also reinforces the potential of genetics to reveal central aspects of the biology of difficult-to-access species.
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