A beluga whale at Chicago’s Shedd Aquarium had a groundbreaking surgery that is poised to change the future of beluga whale care worldwide.

A beluga whale at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium became the first known beluga whale to recover from general anesthesia after a successful surgery this week.

Beluga sturgeon, also called huso huso, evolved nearly 200 million years ago in the Middle Jurassic period. With a ridged spine, hulking frame and shark-like tail, they resemble modern-day dinosaurs.