Bowhead whales live in the Northern Hemisphere, around pack ice, often in shallow waters. Stocks of bowhead whales are known to occur: (1) North of Europe, (2) between Canada and Greenland, (3) in Hudson Bay area, (4) the Okhotsk Sea, and (5) the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas. Bowhead whales migrate seasonally within these waters, between summer feeding areas and wintering areas.

Bowhead whales are capable of breaking through sea ice at least 7.9 inches (20 centimeters) thick; some Eskimo hunters have reported whales surfacing through 2 feet (60 centimeters) of thick ice. Bowhead whales can spend a great deal of time under ice, and it is still unknown how the whales find their next breathing holes.

How can I identify a bowhead whale?

They are up to 65 feet (19.8 meters) long. Bowheads have extremely large heads and relatively stocky (short and fat) bodies, highly arched jaws (a narrow upper jaw and a large, lower jaw), two blow holes, and no dorsal ridge or fin.

How well can a bowhead whale see or hear?

It is thought that baleen whales (including bowhead whales) probably have excellent hearing, which is valuable in the dark ocean environment where vision is less useful. Low-frequency sound can travel great distances under water, which is great for bowhead whales since scientists believe the whales' ears are designed for low-frequency hearing.

Bowhead whales are highly vocal and have a large repertoire of calls and songs. The echoes of these calls may be used to help the whales navigate through the ice as they migrate.

What do bowheads whales eat?

As bowheads are baleen whales, they filter their food through their long baleen plates, which can be over 13 feet (4 meters) long. Bowhead whales open their great mouths and graze along the surface, in the water column, or on the sea floor. Bowheads mostly eat zooplankton including copepods and small shrimp-like animals called euphausiids (most are only 1-3 mm long). Scientists estimate that a bowhead whale needs to eat about 100 metric tons of crustaceans per year.

How do bowheads whales have their young?

Most female bowhead whales are sexually mature by the time they reach a length of 45.9 feet (14 meters). Length of sexual maturity in males is not well documented. Mating behavior has been observed year-round, though most conceptions are believed to occur during late winter or spring. Females are pregnant for at least 12 months and pregnancies occur approximately every three to seven years. Most calves are born between April and early June during the spring migration. Calves are born able to swim. A mother and calf form a very close attachment. The calf spends most of its time swimming close to its mother and is carried in the mother's slip stream.

How long do bowheads whales live? How do they die?

Bowhead whales' limited population and harsh aquatic home make bowhead whales the most difficult of all large whales to study. Because of an absence of teeth (which can be used to estimate age in other mammals), it is difficult to tell how old bowhead whales are when they die. Based on the recovery of stone harpoon tips, it is believed that bowhead whales live well past 70 years old. Recent studies, using tissues from bowhead whale eyes, suggest that these whales may live over 100 years.