The bowhead is the only whale of the baleens to spend its whole life in arctic and sub-arctic seas. Like the right whale, it swims slowly, and floats after death, making it ideal for whaling. [48] More likely, the number of whales that actually inhabit Hudson Bay is much smaller than the total population size of this group,[49] and despite current population size is rather unclear, reports from local indigenous people indicate this population is at least increasing over decades. [67], The most endangered but historically largest of all bowhead populations is the Svalbard/Spitsbergen population. [33] The whale's genome may also reveal physiological adaptations such as having low metabolic rates compared to other mammals. Bowhead whales have a life expectancy of at least 40 years, but perhaps longer. Bowhead hunting is limited to whaling crews who are: This bowhead subsistence hunting occurs during the northward spring migrations based from the ice and from small boats during the returning fall migrations. These animals exhibit slow growth and high survival. In 2015, discoveries of the refuge along eastern Greenland where whaling ships could not reach due to ice floes[78] and largest numbers of whales (80–100 individuals) ever sighted between Spitsbergen and Greenland[79] indicate that more whales than previously considered survived whaling periods, and flows from the other populations are possible. They They are able to dive and remain submerged under water for up to an hour. PCNA is also important in DNA repair. Bowhead whales have the thickest blubber of any whale species at 17 to 19 inches (43 to 48 cm) thick. WIIG Ø., Bachmann L., Janik M.V., Kovacs M.K., Lydersen C., 2007. [82] The population of bowheads in West Greenland and Canada is estimated to be 6,000 and rising, and hunts in this are minimal (<0.001 percent). Bowheads originally crossed ice-covered inlets and straits to exchange genes between Atlantic and Pacific populations. The bulbous ridge of highly vascularized tissue, the corpus cavernosum maxillaris, extends along the centre of the hard plate, forming two large lobes at the rostral palate. [24] About 2 short tons (1.8 long tons; 1.8 t) of food are consumed each day. 2. They are able to mate when they reach a length of 35 to 40 feet. Bowheads have thousands of times the amount of cells we have, and should be more susceptible to cellular disorders such as cancer. Like some other members of the order Cetacea, bowhead whales slap their … The male whale’s mating songs are at their peak in March. The Alaskan villages that participate in the bowhead subsistence harvest include Barrow, Point Hope, Point Lay, Wainwright, Nuiqsut, Kaktovik, Gambell, Savoonga, Kivalina, Wales, and Little Diomede. [24] Bowhead whales are filter feeders, feeding by swimming forward with mouth wide open. [83] There is no consensus on the number of deaths by killer whales. ", Species Profile (Bowhead Whale) – Species at Risk Public Registry, "Distribution and Numbers of Bowhead Whales (, "June 2014: Bowheads and breaking ice – Thin Ice Blog", "MPO – Recherche sur les mammifères marins au Canada – MPO Sciences", "Bowhead Whale in Churchill Waters – Churchill Polar Bears", "Тур 'наблюдение за китами и плавание вдоль побережья Охотского моря и на Шантарските острова, "Фотография: Киты подходят совсем близко к берегу", "WWF приветствует создание нацпарка в Хабаровском крае", "Spatial and Seasonal Distribution of American Whaling and Whales in the Age of Sail", Background Document for Bowhead whale Balaena mysticetus, Musée des Matériaux du Centre de Recherche sur les Monuments Historiques, Franz Josef Land Expedition: First Look at Post-Expedition Discoveries, "Exceptional sighting of 80+ Bowhead Whales", Polar Bears and Glaciers of Baffin Island Webinar, Floating Coast: An Environmental History of the Bering Strait, Alaska's Population of Bowhead Whales Rebounding, In hunt for bowhead whale, Alaska Native village preserves its past, Bowhead Whale, Walrus and Polar Bears of Foxe Basin, http://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=specialstatus.fedsummary&species=bowheadwhale, "Harpoon may prove whale was at least 115 years old", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bowhead_whale&oldid=990969176, Articles with unsourced statements from April 2016, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 27 November 2020, at 15:33. [42] This study puts the yearly growth rate at 3.7% (95% CI = 2.8-4.7%) from 1978 to 2011. The relationship is shown in the cladogram below: The earlier fossil record shows no related cetacean after Morenocetus, found in a South American deposit dating back 23 million years. The global population is assessed as of least concern.[3][8]. And they were able to reassess the true lifespan to the Pinta Island Tortoise, of which the last male, known as Lonesome George, died aged 102 on the Galapagos islands in 2012. Genetic studies suggest Okhotsk population share common ancestry with whales in Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas, and repeated mixings had occurred between whales in the two seas. The Bowhead Whale: Balaena mysticetus: Biology and Human Interactions covers bowhead biology from their anatomy and behavior, to conservation, distribution, ecology and evolution. A once-rare event, killer whales are now seen more frequently. Believed to be one of the oldest mammals on earth and with one of the longest life spans (more than 100 years), the bowhead is the only whale that spends its entire life in Arctic waters. Likewise the Woolly Mammoth would have lived to 60, while the passenger pigeon which died out in 1914 had a lifespan of 28 years. The time spent under water in a single dive is usually limited to 9–18 minutes. [88], Commercial whaling, the principal cause of the population decline, is over. Isabella Bay in Niginganiq National Wildlife Area is the first wildlife sanctuary in the world to be designed specially for bowhead whales. [90], Some Alaska Natives continue by tradition to hunt bowhead and beluga whales on a subsistence level, with low annual bowhead total quotas set by the International Whaling Commission in conjunction with individual village limits set by the Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission.[91]. “It estimated the maximum lifespan of the Pinta Island tortoise to be 120 years old. Bowheads are named after their characteristic massive triangular skull, which is used to break through Arctic ice. [41], Alaskan Natives continue to hunt small numbers of bowhead whales for subsistence purposes. Eventually, it was recognized that bowheads and right whales were different, but there was still no strong consensus as to whether they shared a single genus or two. To feed, water is filtered through the fine hairs of keratin of the baleen plates, trapping the prey inside near the tongue where it is then swallowed. [38], Historical range could have been broader and more southern than that of currently regarded as bowheads had been abundant among Labrador and Newfoundland (Strait of Belle Isle), and northern Gulf of St. Lawrence at least until 16th and 17th centuries, although whether or not this was due to colder climate of those periods is unclear. The Hudson Bay – Foxe Basin population is distinct from the Baffin Bay – Davis Strait group. The gestation period is 13–14 months with females producing a calf once every three to four years. [25] The diet consists of mostly zooplankton, which includes copepods, amphipods, and many other crustaceans. Historically, age determination in bowhead whales has been difficult, and life history parameters are better known in terms of body length than age. [82], Killer whales are also known predators. This conclusion was derived from analyzing maternal lineage using mitochondrial DNA. It is estimated that calves are probably born every three or four years after a gestation period of 13-14 months. Average lifespan of whales The Beluga whale has an average lifespan of 40 – 60 years The Blue whale has an average lifespan of 70 – 90 years The Bowhead whale has an average lifespan of 100 – 200 years CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting these animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration, and controlling other factors that might endanger them. (2012). What allows Bowhead whales to live for over two centuries is their low body temperature and environment – the lower a mammal’s body temperature, the longer it … In May 2007, a 15 m (49 ft) specimen caught off the Alaskancoast was discovered with the 3.5 in (89 mm) head of an explosive harpoon of a model manufactured between 1879 and 1885, so the whale was probably harpooned sometime between those years, and its age at the time of death was estimated at between 115 and 130 years. Breeding season is observed from March through August; conception is believed to occur primarily in March when song activity is at its highest. Generally this is when they are from 10 to 15 years of age. When born, a young Bowhead Whale can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds. Within 30 minutes of birth, bowhead calves are able to swim on their own. This group migrates north in the spring, following the openings it finds in the ice, to the Beaufort and Chukchi seas. The bowhead whale is the only baleen whale that spends its entire life in and around Arctic waters. A 2011 study estimated that the Western Arctic population was 16,892 (95% CI: 15,074-18,928), more than triple the population estimate in 1978. Bowhead Whale — Average Life Span Over 200 Years One hundred may be old for humans — and tortoises — but it's nothing for the bowhead whale. (A) The 2015 bowhead calf carcass that provided the first evidence of killer whale predation on a bowhead whale in the U.S. Pacific Arctic. [81], In 1978 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) introduced a hunting strike quota for the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Sea (BCB) bowhead. The Alaskan population winter in the southwestern Bering Sea. Distribution patterns of whales in this regions are largely affected by presences of killer whales, and bowheads can disappear from normal ranges due to recent changes in killer whales' occurrences within the bay possibly because of changes in movements of ice floes by climate change. After analysing the genetic code of 252 vertebrates, Australian scientists found 42 genes which predict length of life, and were able to tell that the average bowhead will live for 268 years, some 57 years longer than the oldest known whale. [15] The whale has hundreds of overlapping baleen plates consisting of keratin hanging from each side of the upper jaw. Lyon Inlet and Fisher Strait, and whales still migrate through most of these areas. However, moultings have not been recorded in this area due to environmental factors. [73] Whales have also started approaching townships and inhabited areas such as around Longyearbyen. By 1849, 50 ships were hunting bowheads in each area; in the Bering Strait, 500 whales were killed that year, and that number jumped to more than 2000 in 1850. ", "Ancient DNA reveals that bowhead whale lineages survived Late Pleistocene climate change and habitat shifts", "Bowhead Whales, and Not Right Whales, Were the Primary Target of 16th- to 17th-Century Basque Whalers in the Western North Atlantic", "The oldest marine vertebrate fossil from the volcanic island of Iceland: a partial right whale skull from the high latitude Pliocene Tjörnes Formation", "Bowhead Whale: Western Arctic Stock (December 30 2015)", Eastern Arctic bowhead whales not threatened, "Foraging Ecology of Bowhead Whales in West Greenland. Bowhead whales are one of the least encephalized mammals, possessing a small brain relative to their body size (e.g., a 3 kg brain in a 30,000 kg body). According to whaling captain William Scoresby Jr., the longest bowhead he measured was 17.7 m (58 ft) long, while the longest measurement he had ever heard of was of a 20.4 m (67 ft) whale caught at Godhavn, Greenland, in early 1813. Long-lived animals are notoriously difficult to track from birth to death, because researchers do not live long enough to follow them throughout their lives. [31] According to researchers at CSIRO, Australia's national science agency, the genome sequence revealed bowhead whales' maximum lifespan to be 268 years.[32]. In Burns, J. J.; Montague, J. J.; and Cowles, C. J. Moore, S. E., and R. R. Reeves (1993). [40], Generally, five stocks of bowhead whales are recognized: 1) The Western Arctic stock in the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort Seas, 2) The Hudson Bay and Foxe Basin stock, 3) The Baffin Bay and Davis Strait stock, 4) The Sea of Okhotsk stock, and 5) The Svalbard-Barents Sea stock. Writing in the journal Scientific Reports, Dr Benjamin Mayne, a molecular biologist at the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) in Canberra, said: “Bowhead whales are thought to be the longest living mammal, with one individual estimated as 211 years old. Nefedova T., Gavrilo M., Gorshkov S., 2013. Whaling and climatic cooling during the Little Ice Age, from the 16th century to the 19th, is supposed to have reduced the whales' summer habitats, which explains the loss of genetic diversity. The book also discusses the biological and physical aspects of the Arctic ecosystem in which these whales live, with careful attention paid to the dramatic changes taking place. [30] Other bowhead whales were estimated to be between 135 and 172 years old. For some species, like the Greenland shark which may live more than 500 years, scientists are forced to use carbon dating, but the inaccuracy of the process means that estimates can be out by more than 100 years. It can also be used as a source of energy. Reilly, S.B., Bannister, J.L., Best, P.B., Brown, M., Brownell Jr., R.L., Butterworth, D.S., Clapham, P.J., Cooke, J., Donovan, G., Urbán, J. It is the only baleen whale endemic to the Arctic and subarctic waters. “Using our lifespan estimator and the bowhead whale genome, we estimated the maximum longevity of the bowhead whale to be 268 years. The IUCN Red List data are:[84], The Alaska Department of Fish and Game and the USA government list the bowhead whale as federally endangered. Bowhead Whale Can Live 200 Years, Is Cancer Resistant", "Genetic 'clock' predicts lifespan in animals", "Researchers hope this whale's genes will help reverse human aging", "Scientists map bowhead whale's genome; discover genes responsible for long life", "The bowhead whale lives over 200 years. “It is rarely possible to follow long-lived species from birth to death as they would normally out live a generation of researchers. Bowheads are not ones to be rushed and don’t really do anything particularly quickly. 4. Now, a groundbreaking genetic study has built the first ‘lifespan clock’ which can predict how long an animal will live, simply based on its DNA. The tissue is histologically similar to that of the corpus cavernosum of the mammalian penis. First documented report of the species in Japanese waters was of a strayed infant (7 m [23 ft]) caught in Osaka Bay on 23 June 1969,[64] and the first living sighting was of a 10 m (33 ft) juvenile around Shiretoko Peninsula (the southernmost of ice floe range in the Northern Hemisphere) on 21 to 23 June 2015. Now, … Researchers are using its genetic blueprint to probe how it is that this species can live longer than 200 years. [45], The status of other populations is less well known. During 1858–1860, the ships shifted back to the Bering Strait region, where the majority of the fleet cruised during the summer until the early 20th century. [12] The right whales were thus confirmed to be in a separate genus, Eubalaena. The Alaska Eskimo Whaling Commission co-manages the bowhead subsistence harvest with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. This also prevents buckling or breakage of the plates from the pressure of the water passing through them as the whale advances. [59] Scientific research on this population was seldom done before 2009, when researchers studying belugas noticed concentrations of bowheads in the study area. [23] The Inuit have a word for this behavior to give historical context that this is not a new phenomenon. Can its genes tell us why? Bowhead Whale. [43] The annual subsistence harvest of the Western Arctic stock has ranged from 14 to 72, amounting to an estimated 0.1-0.5% of the population. Note rake marks on the calf’s flipper, mouth and jaw . Bowhead whales need to eat about 220,000 pounds (100 tons) of food a year. "Morbidity and Mortality." Estimate of 2011 Abundance of the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort Seas Bowhead Whale Population (2013). Find out more, The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. "Commercial Whaling in the North Atlantic Sector". Discover How Long Bowhead whale Lives. According to scientists, this colossal year-round Arctic dweller may live 200-plus years. 21 Sample size Medium Data quality Acceptable Observations. & Zerbini, A.N. "Commercial Whaling in the North Pacific Sector". They later spread to the western Beaufort Sea (1854) and the Mackenzie River delta (1889). These data suggest that the Western Arctic bowhead stock may be at or near its precommercial whaling level. [47] Original population size of this local group is unclear, but possibly about 500 to 600 whales annually summered in the northwestern part of the bay in 1860s. [27], Sexual activity occurs between pairs and in boisterous groups of several males and one or two females. [50] Fewer whales also migrate to the west coast of Hudson Bay and Mansel and Ottawa Islands. In Burns, J. J.; Montague, J. J.; and Cowles, C. J. Lowry, L. F. (1993). Soon, ships expanded to the west, catching them around Iony Island and then around the Shantar Islands. In Burns, J. J.; Montague, J. J.; and Cowles, C. J. Woodby, D. A. and D. B. Botkin (1993). [19] Whether these lengths were actually measured is questionable. Bowhead whales feed on planktonic organisms including copepods, amphipods, euphausiids, and various other crustaceans. [16] Unlike most cetaceans, the bowhead does not have a dorsal fin - an adaptation for spending much time under sea-surface ice.[17]. Like right whales, it swims slowly, and floats after death, making it ideal for whaling. Between 1854 and 1857, the fleet shifted to the Sea of Okhotsk, where 100–160 ships cruised annually. But they’re not. The group migrates northward in the spring, following openings in the ice, into the Chukchi and Beaufort seas. A bowhead whale surfaces from a dive in the chilly waters of Lancaster Sound, Canada. During expeditions by a tour operator 'Arctic Kingdom', a large group of bowheads seemingly involved in courtship activities was discovered in very shallow bays south of Qikiqtarjuaq in 2012. “Using our lifespan estimator and the bowhead whale genome, we estimated the maximum longevity of the bowhead whale to be 268 years. [35] Changes in the gene UCP1, a gene involved in thermoregulation, can explain differences in the metabolic rates in cells. In Burns, J. J.; Montague, J. J.; and Cowles, C. J. Ross, W. G. (1993). American whalemen called them the steeple-top, polar whale,[4] or Russia or Russian whale. [86], In the North Pacific, the first bowheads were taken off the eastern coast of Kamchatka by the Danish whaleship Neptun, Captain Thomas Sodring, in 1845. The whale’s gestation period lasts about 13 to 14 months, with most calves being born during the spring migration (between April and early June). Basin, and north of Igloolik in summer,[50] and satellite tracking[54] indicates that some portions of the group within the bay do not venture further south than such as Whale Cove[52] and areas south of Coasts and Mansel Islands. [65] Fossils have been excavated on Hokkaido,[66] but it is unclear whether or not northern coasts of Japan once had been included in seasonal or occasional migration ranges. [44] These larger numbers correspond to prewhaling estimates, indicating the population has fully recovered. G.A. However, recent evidence suggests that the Hudson Bay and Foxe Basin stock and the Baffin Bay and Davis Strait stock should be considered one stock based on genetics and movements of tagged whales. [41], In March 2008, Canada's Department of Fisheries and Oceans stated the previous estimates in the eastern Arctic had undercounted, with a new estimate of 14,400 animals (range 4,800–43,000). ERCC1 is linked to DNA repair and increased cancer resistance. [25] While foraging, bowheads are solitary or occur in groups of two to 10 or more. [7], The bowhead was an early whaling target. [10] For the next 180 years, the family Balaenidae was the subject of great taxonometric debate. During periods of feeding, the average swim speed is increased to 1.1–2.5 m/s (3.6–8.2 ft/s) [3.96–9 km/h (2.46–5.59 mph)]. [82], The bowhead whale has been hunted for blubber, meat, oil, bones, and baleen. Data has shown that bowhead whales may be among the longest-lived animals on earth. Based on the recovery of stone harpoon tips from harvested bowheads, it is evident that bowhead whales live well over 100 years. "Distribution and Movement". In Burns, J. J.; Montague, J. J.; and Cowles, C. J. Koski, William R., Rolph A. Davis, Gary W. Miller, and David E. Withrow (1993). While the global population is thought to be secure, thus assigned "least concern" status,[3] some populations are listed by the National Marine Fisheries Service as "endangered" under the auspices of the United States' Endangered Species Act. Bowhead whale Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits Maximum longevity 211 years (wild) Source ref. The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is a species of baleen whale belonging to the family Balaenidae and the only living representative of the genus Balaena. To learn more about the population, these mammals have been regularly observed near the Shantar Islands, very close to the shore, such as at Ongachan Bay. These mutations enable bowhead whales to better repair DNA damage, allowing for greater resistance to cancer. In fact, he’s only middle-aged at that point in his astoundingly long life. LOKE FILM AND ADAM SCHMEDES/CELL REPORTS 2015 One individual caught of the coast of Alaska in 2007 was found to have a harpoon point embedded in it that dated back to 1880, suggesting that it was at least 130 years old. However, it can occur any time from March through August. As recently as 1998, Dale Rice, in his comprehensive and otherwise authoritative classification, Marine Mammals of the World: Systematics and Distribution, listed just two species: B. glacialis (the right whales) and B. mysticetus (the bowheads).[11]. The bowhead whale has paired blowholes, at the highest point of the head, which can spout a blow 6.1 m (20 ft) high. Surviving for at least 200 years, the bowhead whale is the longest living mammal on Earth but zoologists have struggled to discover its true life expectancy. This organ becomes engorged with blood, causing the whale to open its mouth to allow cold seawater to flow over the organ, thus cooling the blood. An unknown species of right whale, the so-called "Swedenborg whale", which was proposed by Emanuel Swedenborg in the 18th century, was once thought to be a North Atlantic right whale by scientific consensus. In 2015, scientists from the US and UK were able to successfully map the whale's genome. This makes the bowhead whale one of the longest living animals on the planet. This area is an important habitat for whales that were observed to be relatively active and to interact with humans positively, or to rest on sea floors. A bowhead whale has a lifespan of up to 100 years, although a few have been estimated to live up to 200 years. Authorities have repeatedly recategorized the three populations of right whale plus the bowhead whale, as one, two, three or four species, either in a single genus or in two separate genera. [50], Not much is known about the endangered Sea of Okhotsk population. This species of whale can live for over 200 years. WWF welcomed the creation a nature sanctuary in the region[62]. "Stock Sizes Prior to Commercial Whaling". [37] The whale's range varies depending on climate changes and on the forming/melting of ice. By midcentury, the population(s) there had practically been wiped out, forcing whalers to voyage into the "West Ice"—the pack ice off Greenland's east coast. [citation needed] Cow – calf pairs and juveniles up to 13.5 m (44 ft) in length consist of majority of summering aggregation in northern Foxe Basin, while matured males and noncalving females may use the northwestern part of Hudson Bay. [89], Bowheads were first taken along the pack ice in the northeastern Sea of Okhotsk, then in Tausk Bay and Northeast Gulf (Shelikhov Gulf). Studies in the 2000s finally provided clear evidence that the three living right whale species comprise a phylogenetic lineage, distinct from the bowhead, and that the bowhead and the right whales are rightly classified into two separate genera. They can be up to 13 feet long, very large compared to other animal species. "Reproduction". We urge you to turn off your ad blocker for The Telegraph website so that you can continue to access our quality content in the future. The bowhead whale is the only baleen whale to spend its entire life in the Arctic and subarctic waters. [82] Bowheads seek the ice and shallow waters' safety when threatened by killer whales. "Foods and Feeding Ecology". They consume about two tons of food a day. The longest reliably measured were a male of 16.2 m (53 ft) and a female of 18 m (59 ft), both landed in Alaska. [20] Lactation typically lasts about a year. The whaling settlement Smeerenburg was founded on Spitzbergen in 1619. In 2014 a team of scientists, who study how to extend human longevity, sequenced the genome of the Bowhead whale. [74] The waters around the marine mammal sanctuary[75] of Franz Josef Land is possibly functioning as the most important habitat for this population.[76][77]. These two specific gene mutations linked to the bowhead whale's ability to live longer are the ERCC1 gene and the proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) gene. Bowhead Whale Life-Cycle. This lifespan estimation is 10–20 years higher than most estimates of Lonesome George’s age at death.”. 3. [22], Bowhead whales are not social animals, typically travelling alone or in small pods of up to six. [82] Both stocks are rising, and the indigenous hunts seem to be self-sustaining. [41], The Western Arctic bowhead population, also known as the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort population, has recovered since the commercial harvest of this stock ceased in the early 1900s. Hunted by commercial whalers until the last century for oil, meat, and baleen, bowhead whales are today listed as endangered species in many countries. In Burns, J. J.; Montague, J. J.; and Cowles, C. J. Bockstoce, J. R., and J. J. Burns (1993). Philo, L. M., E. B. Shotts, and J. C. George (1993). Possibly, vagrants from this population occasionally reach into Asian nations such as off Japan or the Korean Peninsula (although this record might be of a right whale[63]). Bowhead whales are now hunted on a subsistence level by native peoples of North America. [36] The Alaskan population spends the winter months in the southwestern Bering Sea. Today, the number of sightings elsewhereis very small,[71] but with increasing regularities[72] with whales having strong regional connections. The Alaskan population spends the winter months in the southwestern Bering Sea. However, the researchers found it was impossible to create a clock for invertebrate species from their DNA, and they have not yet tested it on the Greenland shark, so its true age continues to remain elusive. [20] On average, female bowheads are larger than males. "Anatomy & Physiology". Surviving for at least 200 years, the bowhead whale is the longest living mammal on Earth but zoologists have struggled to discover its true life expectancy. [39] Distributions of Balaena spp. [24], The head of the bowhead whale comprises a third of its body length, creating an enormous feeding apparatus. The whale's blubber is the thickest of that of any animal, with a maximum of 43–50 cm (17–20 in). Other common names of the species are the Greenland right whale or Arctic whale. [15] It also possesses a strongly bowed lower jaw and a narrow upper jaw. However, if climate change substantially shrinks sea ice, these whales could be threatened by increased shipping traffic. Of the five stocks of bowhead populations, three are listed as "endangered", one as "vulnerable", and one as "lower risk, conservation dependent" according to the IUCN Red List. Inuit hunters have reported bowheads surfacing through 60 cm (24 in) of ice. Mating generally will occur in March. [60][61] Several companies provide whale-watching services, which are mostly land-based. [15] Bowheads are not thought to be deep divers, but they can reach a depth down to 500 ft (150 m). In Burns, J. J.; Montague, J. J.; and Cowles, C. J. Haldiman, J. T. and R. J. Tarpley (1993).

bowhead whale lifespan

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bowhead whale lifespan 2020