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🇮🇸 Iceland /Culture & Society

Rare beluga whale sighted in East Iceland

From Morgunblaðið · () Icelandic

Translated from Icelandic, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

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  • A rare white whale, identified as a beluga, was recently spotted swimming in Reyðarfjörður, East Iceland.
  • Belugas are uncommon visitors to Icelandic waters, with the last sighting near the country being in Reykjavík harbor in 2021.
  • The whale, described as white with no dorsal fin, typically inhabits the Arctic Ocean.

A rare sight indeed: a beluga whale has been spotted in Reyðarfjörður, East Iceland, a creature seldom seen near the country's shores. The distinctive white whale was seen by local resident Tinna Hrönn Smáradóttir while she was driving between Reyðarfjörður and Fáskrúðsfjörður on May 19.

Smáradóttir noticed a flash of white in the water and stopped her car to investigate. "The white color was striking, and I decided to stop the car and take a look. Then I saw it was a whale, but I hadn't seen one like it before," she told mbl.is. While whales are a common sight in the area, Smáradóttir had not previously encountered a beluga.

Beluga whales are a species of toothed whale known for their white coloration and lack of a dorsal fin. They typically reside in the Arctic Ocean, around the North Pole. In the Atlantic, their range extends north of Iceland, making sightings along the Icelandic coast infrequent. The last recorded sighting of a beluga near Iceland was in Reykjavík harbor in 2021.

The white color was striking, and I decided to stop the car and take a look. Then I saw it was a whale, but I hadn't seen one like it before.

— Tinna Hrönn SmáradóttirDescribing her experience spotting the beluga whale.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Morgunblaðið in Icelandic. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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