Atlanta

Georgia Aquarium’s baby beluga whale turns 1!

ATLANTA — A baby beluga whale born at the Georgia Aquarium is celebrating her first birthday today!

Shila, pronounced “Shy-la,” was born to mom Whisper on May 17, 2020. When she was born, the calf weighed 174.5 pounds and was 5 feet 4 inches tall. She is now close to 720 pounds and is over8 feet long.

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“Shila continues to grow, not only in size, but in learning new behaviors - notably from mimicking the other whales,” the aquarium said. “Our trainers say Shila is also very playful with her enrichment and spends a lot of time refining her water and bubble play skills.”

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The news comes days after the aquarium shared that another one of their female beluga whales, Qinu, is expecting a calf later this summer. Qinu had another calf in 2017, but it did not survive the birth.

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