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Whale Encyclopedia

Discover the magnificent cetaceans of our oceans

Bowhead Whale

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

Least Concern

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