Svalbard Bowhead Whale
There are five discrete populations of Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) around the Arctic and the Svalbard population is the rarest. It is classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered, just one step above Extinct. Apparently there have only been 47 sightings in the past 80 years, which is about one sighting every two years. Although there are several whales that are longer than Bowhead, they are the second heaviest after Blue Whale, and you can see the huge bulky body here. You can also see the distinctive "elephant" profile with the dip behind the blowholes. We also saw the V-shaped blow, lack of dorsal fin, bow-shaped jaw and its distinctive tail flukes. The only place I have ever seen Bowheads before was in western Greenland, where the population is considerably higher, though still classified as Endangered.
Bowhead Whales are probably the longest-lived mammal species on the planet and their slow reproductive rate means that they have still not recovered from whaling activities. A moratorium was passed in 1966 to protect this species from commercial whaling. In May 2007, a 15 m specimen found on the Alaskan coast was discovered with the 90 mm head of an explosive bomb lance of a model manufactured between 1879 and 1885, so the whale was probably harpooned sometime between those years.
Its age at the time of death was estimated at between 115 and 130 years. Scientists estimated that Bowheads can exceed 200 years, which is much older than originally thought.
Svalbard Bowhead Whale
There are five discrete populations of Bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) around the Arctic and the Svalbard population is the rarest. It is classified by IUCN as Critically Endangered, just one step above Extinct. Apparently there have only been 47 sightings in the past 80 years, which is about one sighting every two years. Although there are several whales that are longer than Bowhead, they are the second heaviest after Blue Whale, and you can see the huge bulky body here. You can also see the distinctive "elephant" profile with the dip behind the blowholes. We also saw the V-shaped blow, lack of dorsal fin, bow-shaped jaw and its distinctive tail flukes. The only place I have ever seen Bowheads before was in western Greenland, where the population is considerably higher, though still classified as Endangered.
Bowhead Whales are probably the longest-lived mammal species on the planet and their slow reproductive rate means that they have still not recovered from whaling activities. A moratorium was passed in 1966 to protect this species from commercial whaling. In May 2007, a 15 m specimen found on the Alaskan coast was discovered with the 90 mm head of an explosive bomb lance of a model manufactured between 1879 and 1885, so the whale was probably harpooned sometime between those years.
Its age at the time of death was estimated at between 115 and 130 years. Scientists estimated that Bowheads can exceed 200 years, which is much older than originally thought.