Georgia Aquarium expecting rare beluga whale birth

John Bazemore / AP

John Bazemore / AP

Georgia Aquarium's resident pregnant beluga whale Maris.

John Bazemore / AP

Animal care and training specialist Mackezie Mueller working with The Georgia Aquarium's resident pregnant beluga whale Maris.

Georgia Aquarium's resident pregnant beluga whale Maris is expected to give birth by June. She is the first mammal to conceive at the downtown Atlanta attraction since it opened in 2005.

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I bet this whale must feel so proud to be an expecting mother! I wonder what goes through her head. Obviously she does not need to worry about what type of diapers or clothing she might need for her newborn baby, but what will her child really need? I guess what she worries about is how she is going to be able to keep her baby fed well and how she is going to make sure newborn child is healthy. I also think she may worry about how long her child can survive in this ocean of ours. Will the water still be healthy for both her and her child to survive for a normal amount of lifespan for a whale? Will the water have enough of good food for both of them to eat? And, I am sure she also worries about what can happen to her children's offspring. Will her child be able to have healthy children too? I think she wants to have grandchildren some day, but that is going to take awhile...

    Reply#1 - Thu Apr 12, 2012 1:27 AM EDT

    What beautiful, intelligent creatures.

      Reply#2 - Thu Apr 12, 2012 12:07 PM EDT

      How exciting is this wondeful news. I only wish I could be there. As her caregiver is petting here in the picture you can almost feel the trust and love she has. It saddens me to see only 2 comments. Georgia has gone out of its way to show us these awesome belugas and I say thank you, thank you, thank you

        Reply#3 - Sun Apr 15, 2012 7:13 PM EDT

        How awesome and exciting. What a beautiful creation she is!

          Reply#4 - Mon Apr 16, 2012 3:49 PM EDT
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