This is the hilarious moment a beluga opened its mouth, leaving a toddler in tears out of fear of being eaten.

Footage shows the sea creature swimming up to the glass as the child stands in front of it with her mother in Shandong, China.

Moments later, the playful animal swayed its head from side to side before opening its mouth wide in front of the terrified young girl on August 8.

The startled toddler burst into tears and turned towards her mum while the whale remained close.

Her family and onlookers nearby could be heard reacting in the background as the girl hid her face while her parent cradled her to comfort her.

The scenic area's customer service department said that the whale was not trying to eat the girl and that the behaviour was not the result of artificial training.

They added: 'It is the whale's natural way of interacting with visitors.'

On May 24, a beluga made a frightened toddler cry by opening its mouth wide at the Polar Ocean World in Linyi, Shandong.

Belugas are known to be highly social and affectionate sea mammals that can often be seen kissing their pod-mates with snout-to-snout contact.

Experts said that belugas seem fascinated by humans and frequently approach the windows in observation tanks to watch them.