Fossils of monodontids, the group of whales that includes living narwhals and beluga whales, indicate these prehistoric mammals ranged further south than the Arctic like their living relatives.
All living and extinct monodontids are found in the Northern Hemisphere, however the ranges vary depending on glacial expansion and retreat.
Ancient beluga whales were very similar to today's. The toothed carnivorous whales traveled thousands of miles in groups. Belugas are the only whales that can bend their necks thanks their neck vertebrae not being fused together, allowing adaptations to maneuvering in murky and icy waters to catch prey.
Their teeth are conical, grew slowly and would not be replaced if lost. There would be about 40 teeth at adulthood. These slightly blunted teeth were used solely for catch prey--not for chewing.
Type: Fossil Beluga Whale Tooth
Age: Pleistocene (1 million - 11,000 years ago)
Locality: St. Lawrence Island, Alaska
Size: 1.88 x .38 x .31 inches
Weight: .20 oz.