Watch: Beluga Whale Welcomes Little Boy With A Special "Hello" At Aquarium

A little boy in Taiwan was in for a surprise when he visited an aquarium to catch a glimpse of some interesting aquatic creatures. A playful beluga whale seemed to have taken a fancy to the boy and a playful interaction between the two was caught on camera. The boy, sitting on a ledge in front of the glass display, was taken aback when the whale he was admiring from a distance made a beeline towards him. Initially startled, he turned away from the aquarium with his hands to his face.

But curiosity got the better of him and he turned for another look, only to see the whale pressing its face against the glass and opening its mouth as if to say "hello." The boy instantly got off the ledge as onlookers burst into laughter.

This is not the first time that beluga whales have captured social media's attention. Last year, an adorable clip of penguins at a Chicago aquarium going on a field tour to meet beluga whales had clocked millions of views on Twitter. 

Beluga whales can be easily told apart by their distinct white colour and are known to possess unique abilities such as being able to swim backwards. According to the World Wildlife Fund, they are known to be one of the most vocal whale species, earning them the moniker, "sea canaries". The exceptionally intelligent mammals face threats from issues such as climate change, hunting, and industrial and urban pollution, among others.

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