Beluga whale born at SeaWorld in Texas

The zoological team at SeaWorld had been on 24-hour watch since July 1. They got what they were waiting for on Aug. 11 when, after 30 minutes of labor, Beluga whale Luna gave birth to a 140-pound calf.

No word yet on the gender or name of the new addition to the waterpark.

MySanAntonio reports that the park now has eight Beluga whales – four adult females (including 16-year-old Luna); two adult males; and one juvenile male.

According to NOAA, Beluga whales are very social animals that typically migrate, hunt, and interact together in groups or single. They're known as the "canaries of the sea" because they produce a vast repertoire of sounds including whistles, squeals, moos, chirps, and clicks. They usually live in the Arctic and subarctic regions of Russia, Greenland and North America.

This story was originally published August 12, 2016 at 6:02 AM with the headline "Beluga whale born at SeaWorld in Texas."