The beluga's diet is varied, and consists of small squid, crabs, clams, shrimp, sandworms, and various kinds of fish such as capelin, sandlance, and polar and arctic cod. It is especially fond of young salmon, and groups of belugas sometimes gather at the mouths of rivers to feed on the salmon as they return from their fresh water spawning grounds to the sea. A beluga consumes 50-60 pounds of food a day. It has about 10 conical shaped teeth on each side of its upper and lower jaw. Because it swallows its food whole, the beluga's teeth are not used for chewing, but for grasping and holding prey.