Mammals
Bowhead Whale
Balaena mysticetus · also called bowhead whales
Breaking through a thick layer of Arctic sea ice from below using its massive, arched skull, a bowhead whale surfaces to breathe, a species that may have been alive for well over a century, quietly making it one of the longest-lived mammals on the planet.
Overview
The bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus, is a massive, ice-breaking baleen whale native to Arctic and subarctic ocean waters, remaining within polar regions year-round rather than migrating to warmer waters. Its likely record-breaking lifespan, the thickest blubber of any whale, and a skull specifically adapted for breaking through sea ice make it one of the most physically extreme and long-lived large mammals found anywhere on Earth.
A whale built to outlast centuries
Evidence recovered from old harpoon fragments suggests some bowhead whales alive today may have been swimming through Arctic waters since before some countries even existed, an almost unbelievable lifespan matched by few, if any, other mammals.
Status
Least Concern and increasing overall, having recovered significantly in several populations following centuries of intensive historical whaling, though some smaller regional populations remain more limited.
Bowhead Whale: common questions
How do scientists know the bowhead whale can live so long?
Evidence for this species' extraordinary lifespan comes partly from stone and metal harpoon fragments recovered embedded in hunted individuals, fragments from hunting methods abandoned many decades earlier, indicating some whales had survived encounters with outdated weapons a century or more before being caught.
How does the bowhead whale break through sea ice?
This species has an unusually large, strongly arched skull that it can use to break through sea ice from below, an adaptation that allows it to create breathing holes in ice thick enough to stop most other whale species from surfacing.
Why does the bowhead whale need such thick blubber?
This species carries the thickest layer of blubber documented in any whale, an essential insulating adaptation for surviving in the frigid Arctic and subarctic waters it inhabits year-round without migrating to warmer regions the way many other large whales do.
Has the bowhead whale recovered from historical whaling?
Several populations of this species have shown significant recovery since international whaling restrictions were introduced following centuries of intensive commercial hunting, though some smaller regional populations remain more limited in number and continue to be closely monitored.