greenland whale Bowhead Whale Balaena mysticetus
The Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus), also known as Greenland Right Whale or Arctic Whale, is a baleen whale of the right whale family Balaenidae. A stocky dark-colored whale without a dorsal fin, it can grow to 20 meters (66 ft) in length. Estimated maximum weight of this thick-bodied species is 136 tonnes (134 LT; 150 ST), second only to the Blue Whale, although the Bowhead lags behind several other whales in maximum length. The Bowhead spends all of its life in fertile Arctic waters, unlike other whales that migrate for feeding or reproduction. The Bowhead was an early target for the whaling industry, and its population was severely depleted before a whaling moratorium was introduced in 1966. The population is estimated to be over 24,900 worldwide, down from an estimated 50,000 before the commencement of whaling. The Bowhead Whale is a robust-bodied, dark-colored animal with no dorsal fin and a strongly bowed lower jaw and narrow upper jaw. The baleen plates, exceeding three meters and the longest of the baleen whales, are used to strain tiny prey from the water. This whale has a massive bony skull which it uses to break the ice from beneath to breathe. Some Inuit hunters have reported whales surfacing through 60 cm (24 in) of ice in this method. The Bowhead may reach lengths of up to 20 m (66 ft) and females are larger than males. The blubber layer of whale flesh is thicker than in any other animal, averaging 43–50 cm (17–20 in). The longest reported length for a Bowhead, was m (70 ft) for an unweighed giant caught off of Spitsbergen, Norway.
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