The Bowhead Whale

General description: Bowheads belong to a group of whales called mysticetes, which are whales that have baleen instead of teeth. The toothed whales belong to a group called odontocetes. Bowheads are large, rotund whales that are much less streamlined than most other baleen whales. Bowheads can reach 60 ft (18.3 m) and weigh more than 120,000 pounds (54,500 kg). Adaptations for living in arctic and subarctic waters include very thick blubber, up to 1.5 feet (0.5 m), which is used for insulation, energy storage, and padding. Paired blowholes, characteristic of mysticetes, are located at the peak of their large head and they use their blubber padded skulls for breaking ice. The elevated position of the blowholes allows them to breath in small holes in the ice. Bowheads have the largest mouth and head in the animal kingdom and it takes up about one-third of their body length. The upper jaw is arched upward forming the bow-shaped head that distinguishes bowheads from other whales and gives them their name. Bowheads have short, wide flippers and their flukes are very broad, equaling one-third of the body length.