Extremely intelligent and adorable, Beluga whales also possess a unique ability that sends shivers down people's spines.

Beluga whales are among the most intelligent animals in the ocean.

Also known as beluga whales, they are one of the smallest whale species in the animal kingdom. Their distinctive smooth white skin and classic "stubborn forehead" give them an unmistakable appearance.

Beluga whales typically live in pods; they are highly social and have a variety of communication methods, such as whistling.

They live in the Arctic or subpolar oceans, although some can also be found in deep waters near the shore. Beluga whales feed on smaller marine animals and have hunting habits similar to killer whales. However, they are extremely friendly and affectionate towards humans.

Adult beluga whales can grow up to 4 meters in size and possess brains twice the size of humans, with even more folds. They have excellent problem-solving and communication skills, can remain calm in critical situations, and are easily trainable.

Thanks to their ability to mimic many different sounds and even "sing," Beluga whales are considered the "canaries" of the sea.

They live in groups and often enjoy singing.

But here's what's noteworthy. In 2017, Newsweek reported that a Beluga whale had "learned" the "foreign language" of dolphins when it moved to live with this pod of dolphins. Before that, the Beluga whale lived with its own kind and spoke the Beluga language normally.

After two months of "moving in," it began producing new whistles with sounds similar to those of its dolphin "siblings" living with it. It even managed to create distinctive whistles indistinguishable from those of regular dolphins to easily blend in.

That's not really that surprising, since Beluga whales and bottlenose dolphins are closely related.

The strange phenomenon and its real explanation.

What's truly chilling is that a Beluga whale that was once kept in captivity was named NOC.

NOC was kept in captivity at a marine animal center in San Diego, California, USA, until his death in 1999. In 1984, scientists discovered a strange phenomenon: the sound of human voices could be heard around NOC's enclosure even when no one was present.

The study's co-author acknowledged the area where human voices could be heard, but found it difficult to discern the sounds in order to understand what people were trying to communicate.

Of course, scientists aren't looking for explanations in supernatural phenomena. The situation became more intriguing when a diver in a whale tank heard someone chasing him, with sounds like the word "out."

It turned out the voice was coming from the NOC. In fact, this guy had plenty of opportunities to listen to human conversations, both from people outside the tank and from divers communicating with each other.

In a more rigorous test to see if NOC could truly mimic humans, scientists rewarded the creature with snacks when it made those sounds, prompting it to do so long enough for them to record it.

Beluga whales are very friendly and affectionate towards humans, despite being carnivorous.

Acoustic analysis of NOCs reveals a rhythm similar to that of human speech. They also exhibit fundamental frequencies several octaves lower than typical whale sounds and much closer to the sound of a human voice.

Researcher Sam Ridgway, a neurobiologist, veterinarian, and president of the National Marine Mammal Foundation, told LiveScience: "We were surprised—we were very surprised—the sound really reminded us of human-like voices and didn't sound like a normal whale's voice at all. We'd never heard anything like this before."

Besides NOC, many people also tell the story of another Beluga whale in Vancouver, Canada, that spontaneously uttered its own name, "Lagosi".

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3. A rare blue lobster, found only once in two million.