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Beluga calf

Shedd Aquarium’s newest baby beluga whale has a name!

What do you get for a beluga whale on his six-month birthday? A name! After nearly a month, the votes are in. The people of Chicago have spoken and a name for the newest member of Shedd Aquarium’s marine mammal family, a male beluga whale born on Dec. 14 last year, has been chosen. Nunavik (New-na-vik) meaning friendly, beautiful and wild in Inuit was revealed this morning by ABC 7 Traffic Anchor Roz Varon during a live broadcast from Shedd.

Over 3,200 votes were cast during the naming contest. Nunavik was chosen over several other names, some included were, Kimalu which is a traditional Inuit name given to special people, Tuwawi meaning quick, Nilak meaning fresh water ice. Almost all of Shedd’s beluga whales derive their names from the Inuit language of the native people who live in the Arctic region, which is the animals’ natural range.

The six-month-old Nunavik is strong, healthy and certainly growing. Weighing over 400 pounds, almost double his weight at birth, the calf is the fifth successful beluga birth at Shedd Aquarium. 

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Use this page to get latest updates on Shedd's new calf, including fun activities, videos, special coupons and more!

Make an origami beluga calf. Simply print the template, cut it out and fold along the dashed lines. In eight simple steps, you'll have your very own beluga calf!

Tell us your beluga baby story, or draw us a picture of him and you could win fun prizes. See our contest rules.

Watch the beluga birth video.

Give a gift in our beluga virtual baby shower to help us provide the calf with enriching, whale-safe playthings.

Learn more about Shedd's beluga whales.

Share stories and thoughts on Shedd's Facebook page, and post your beluga photos to our Flickr group.


 

Shop for beluga whale t-shirts and toys in our online store.