Uploaded February 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Beluga whales in Alaska’s Bristol Bay live on a genetic knife edge. Their population is relatively small, largely isolated from other beluga groups, and notoriously difficult for scientists to study.
In theory, those conditions should make them especially vulnerable to inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity. But new research from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) suggests these whales may have found an unexpected workaround.
Beluga whales in Alaska’s Bristol Bay live on a genetic knife edge. Their population is relatively small, largely isolated from other beluga groups, and notoriously difficult for scientists to study.
In theory, those conditions should make them especially vulnerable to inbreeding and loss of genetic diversity. But new research from Florida Atlantic University (FAU) suggests these whales may have found an unexpected workaround.
