bowheads
Massive arctic whales
Bowheads are Arctic whales named for their massive, bow-shaped skulls, which they use to break through sea ice.
Among the longest-lived mammals, some individuals exceed two hundred years.
They lack a dorsal fin and carry the thickest blubber of any whale species: Bowheads migrate through the Bering Strait each spring.
Whale's filtering bristles
- blubberMarine mammal fat
- flukeChance stroke of luck
- rostrumRaised speaker's platform
- skullHead's bone casing
jawbone · blowhole · filter-feeding · keratinous · stocky · thick skin · whalebone
Arctic indigenous people
- subsistenceMinimal means of living
- BeringStrait linking two oceans
- BeaufortWind intensity scale
- leadDense metal, symbol Pb
floe · Arctic Ocean · umiak · ice-free · beluga · narwhal · walrus · polar
Regularly moving between regions
- breachingBreaking through something
- singingVocal music-making
- vocalizationProducing sounds with voice
- matingReproductive pairing behavior
calving · nursing · diving · surfacing · feeding · lunge · social · aggregation
Preventing waste or loss
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
- protectionGuarding against harm
- quotaFixed assigned amount
- moratoriumTemporary prohibition or delay
population · stock · harvest · sustainable · monitoring · census · aerial survey · acoustic
Having extended lifespan
- ancientVery old indeed
- slow metabolismInefficient energy conversion rate
- eye lensOptic you look into
- survivalRemaining alive against odds
baleen
Whale's filtering bristles
skull · jawbone · blowhole · filter-feeding · keratinous · stocky · thick skin · whalebone
Inuit
Arctic indigenous people
- subsistenceMinimal means of living
- BeringStrait linking two oceans
- BeaufortWind intensity scale
lead · floe · Arctic Ocean · umiak · ice-free · beluga · narwhal · walrus · polar · permafrost
migratory
Regularly moving between regions
- breachingBreaking through something
- singingVocal music-making
- vocalizationProducing sounds with voice
mating · calving · nursing · diving · surfacing · feeding · lunge · social · aggregation · spring migration
conservation
Preventing waste or loss
- recoveryRegaining what was lost
- protectionGuarding against harm
- quotaFixed assigned amount
moratorium · population · stock · harvest · sustainable · monitoring · census · aerial survey · acoustic · abundance
long-lived
Having extended lifespan
- ancientVery old indeed
- slow metabolismInefficient energy conversion rate
- eye lensOptic you look into
bowheadssperm whales
Largest toothed cetaceans
orcas · killer whales · dolphins · porpoises · narwhals
- bowhead whaleArctic baleen cetacean