Facts about Bowhead Whale

1. 07

   Bowhead whales reach sexual maturity between 12 and 16 years of age and reproduce only once every 3 to 4 years, contributing to their slow population recovery.

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2. 06

   Bowhead whales possess baleen plates reaching up to 15 feet in length, the longest of any baleen whale species, enabling efficient filtering of Arctic amphipods and copepods.

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3. 05

   The bowhead whale's larynx produces infrasound calls below 10 hertz that travel hundreds of miles through Arctic water for communication across vast distances.

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4. 04

   A bowhead whale's skull comprises approximately 40 percent of its total body length, enabling it to break through Arctic ice up to 2 feet thick.

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5. 03

   During spring migrations, bowhead whales travel over 12,000 miles annually between Arctic feeding grounds and breeding areas in the Bering Sea.

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6. 02

   Bowhead whales can live over 200 years, making them among the longest-lived mammals on Earth.

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7. 01

   Up to 20 feet thick, the blubber layer of bowhead whales provides insulation in Arctic waters reaching minus 50 degrees Fahrenheit.

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