Painting whale

16 April 2010 16:30 GMT

A Chinese water park has a new attraction - an artist whale.

Keepers at Qingdao Polar Ocean World now charge hundreds of pounds for a portrait from Xiao Qiang, a Beluga whale who started painting after a visitor accidentally left behind a brush.

Trainer Zhang Yong said: "He showed a lot of interest in painting right from the start so now all we have to do is give him the brushes and hold the paper while he paints with his mouth."

According to experts, Xiao Qiang is able to work on his artistic talents because his species have a lot more soft tissue around their mouths than others, which allows him to manipulate a brush.

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