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Animal profile

Bowhead Whale

Balaena mysticetus

MammaliaArctic and subarctic seas, closely associated with sea iceLeast Concern

Field profile

The bowhead whale is a heavy-bodied Arctic baleen whale reaching about 18 metres, with the thickest blubber and the longest baleen of any whale. It skim-feeds on copepods and krill and can break through substantial sea ice with its reinforced skull. Some stocks remain depleted while the Alaskan population has recovered strongly.

Scope note

This is an editorial profile, not a diagnostic field-identification guide or a substitute for current conservation assessments. Follow the cited sources on each fact for the evidence trail.

Published field notes

2024-10-03

Bowhead Whale

Old harpoon points revealed the bowhead's extreme age

Whales landed in Alaska in the twentieth century were found with stone and ivory harpoon tips embedded in their blubber, weapons abandoned by the 1880s. Chemical dating of eye lenses later put some individuals past two hundred years old.

Read with evidence →

Bowhead Whale | Daily Animal Facts