Braving sub-zero temperatures, she has thrown caution — and her clothes — to the wind to tame two beluga whales in a unique and controversial experiment.

Natalia Avseenko, 36, was persuaded to strip naked as marine experts believe belugas do not like to be touched by artificial materials such as diving suits.

The skilled Russian diver took the plunge as the water temperature hit minus 1.5 degrees Centigrade.

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Princess of whales: How a naked female scientist tries to tame belugas in the freezing Arctic

Until the 1990s, only two kinds of Orcas were seen in the inshore waters of British Columbia, he says: “resident whales,” which prefer delicacies such as salmon; and “transient whales,” which prefer to eat mammals such as porpoises and seals. The groups co-exist but don’t mix, socialize or mate, he explains.

But when the third kind of Orca appeared off Haida Gwaii on the Queen Charlotte Islands, scientists were puzzled. They were a complete mystery to scientists, particularly their eating habits. Then Ford and his team of scientists made a remarkable discovery: These whales love to eat shark. And that alone might explain the worn-down teeth.