Marine Mammals
Bowhead Whale
Balaena mysticetus
Also known as
Greenland whale, Greenland right whale, polar whale
Distribution
Throughout the Arctic ocean
Ecosystem/Habitat
Offshore, near ice edge
Feeding Habits
Filter feeder
Conservation Status
Special concern/data deficient
Taxonomy
Suborder Mysticeti (baleen whales); Family Balaenidae (right whales)
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Facebook Twitter Pinterest Google+The bowhead whale’s name comes from the bow-shape of its large upper jaw. Its jaw holds the longest baleen plates of any whale, reaching up to four meters long! Bowhead whales use these plates to filter water for food, like zooplankton, krill and small fish. Their large heads makes up one third of their body length and are encased by a thick layer of blubber. This allows them to explore waters farther north than other whales, which helps them to avoid predators like killer whales. Bowhead whales also use their large heads to smash through ice more than 20 centimetres thick. This ice smashing often leaves bowhead whales with distinct scars that scientists use to identify different individuals.
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- American Plaice
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- Atlantic Cod
- Atlantic Herring
- Atlantic Mackerel
- Atlantic Puffin
- Atlantic Walrus
- Atlantic Wolffish
- Basking shark
- Beluga Whale
- Blue Shark
- Bowhead Whale
- Bubblegum Coral
- Canary Rockfish
- Capelin
- Chinook Salmon
- Dungeness Crab
- Eulachon
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- Fjords
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- Great White Shark
- Green Sea Turtle
- Greenland Halibut/Turbot
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- Kelp Forests
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- Lingcod
- Lion's Mane Jellyfish
- Loggerhead Sea Turtle
- Lophelia Coral
- Narwhal
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- Northern Gannet
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- Pilot Whale
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- Redfish (Acadian & Deepwater)
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