A white Beluga whale has been spotted in the narrow straits around the Flensburg Firth, the waterway which divides Germany from Denmark near the northern German city of Flensburg.

According to the local Nordschleswiger (North Schleswig) newspaper, a Danish publication serving Denmark's German-speaking minority in the region, the white whale was first spotted near Arosund last month and has since made its way south past the island of Als and into the firth, known as the Flensburger Förde in German or Flensborg Fjord in Danish.

Beluga whales are said to be friendly, social animals which often travel in groups. They are known for their varied methods of communication with a "language" made up of whistles, chirps and clicks, earning them the nickname "canaries of the sea."

Feeding on herring, salmon, squid and crustaceans, Beluga whales can grow up to six meters long and can weigh over a ton. 

They are normally found in sub-arctic regions like Greenland and Norway, but it's not the first time that a Beluga whale has been spotted in southern Denmark, with previous sightings reported in 1903, 1964, the 1980s and 2012.

According to Danish whale researcher Carl Christian Kinze, Beluga whales like coastal areas and this particular individual will likely find its own way back out into more open waters.

What happened to 'Timmy' the humpback whale?

Unfortunately, the same couldn't be said for "Timmy" the humpback whale which has been repeatedly stranding, freeing and stranding itself again off Germany's northeastern coast for the past month, and is now to be left to die in peace after captivating the country.

Edited by: Elizabeth Schumacher