
Photo: By Vicki Beaver, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, NOAA FIsheries, Marine Mammal Permit#14245 - https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/f7aa062d-aa47-4295-9e98-942be8b148ef, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=145435496
Bowhead Whale
B. mysticetus
About This Species
Arctic specialists reaching up to 62 feet with distinctive massive triangular skulls capable of breaking through sea ice up to 20cm thick, potentially living over 200 years making them among the longest-lived mammals. Endemic to Arctic and subarctic waters, feeding on copepods and krill through massive baleen plates up to 4m long. Most populations recovering well except for some critically endangered subpopulations.
Size
up to 18.9m
Weight
75-100 tons