A beluga whale had a hilarious reaction to people looking at him in a zoo in southern Taiwan.

Footage shows the marine mammal appearing to tease an aquarium visitor who was watching it through the glass in Pingtung County on May 3.

While amused zoo visitors watched, the male creature pretended to leave but returns immediately, appearing to try to startle the woman in front.

It lunged at the woman while opening its mouth as if to say, "Are you talkin' to me?" - lines uttered by actor Robert De Niro's in Martin Scorsese's classic 1976 movie "Taxi Driver" as his character Travis Bickle fantasises in front of the mirror.

The whale lingered in front of the viewing glass for almost a minute to entertain the visitors before swimming off on the other side of the aquarium.

The woman in the video, Huang Chunchun, whose friend recorded her, said it was one of the most memorable encounters she had with a wildlife in the zoo.

She said: "I have been to Pingtung Sea Life Museum multiple times before but this was the most memorable encounter I had with a wildlife.

"This whale played with me for quite some time. I don’t how it learned to do that. Everyone was happy to watch it play with me."

Belugas are sociable mammals that live, hunt and migrate together in pods ranging from a few to hundreds of whales. Their bulbous forehead called a "melon" is flexible and capable of changing shape.

Beluga whale has HILARIOUS reaction to people looking at him in zoo

A beluga whale had a hilarious reaction to people looking at him in a zoo in southern Taiwan.

Footage shows the friendly marine mammal appearing to tease an aquarium visitor who was watching it through the glass in Pingtung County on May 3.

While amused zoo visitors watched, the make creature pretended to leave but returns immediately appearing to try to startle the woman in front.

It lunged at the woman while open it’s mouth as if to say ‘what are you looking at?’

The whale lingered in front of the viewing glass for almost a minute to entertain the visitors before swimming off on the other side of the aquarium.

The woman in the video Huang Chunchun, whose friend recorded her, said it was one of the most memorable encounters she had with a wildlife in the zoo.

She said: ‘I have been to Pingtung Sea Life Museum multiple times before but this was the most memorable encounter I had with a wildlife.

‘This whale played with me for quite some time. I don’t how it learned to do that. Everyone was happy to watch it play with me.’

Belugas are sociable mammals that live, hunt and migrate together in pods ranging from a few to hundreds of whales. Their bulbous forehead called a ‘melon’ is flexible and capable of changing shape.