Bowhead Whales: Songbirds Of The Arctic Sea

The Critically Endangered bowhead whale is unusual amongst mammals because they, like songbirds, sing a diverse repertoire of many distinct and complex songs throughout the months-long polar night

A bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus, swims just under the water’s surface with its mouth open, feeding, in Fram Strait, northwest of Norway. (Credit: Kit M. Kovacs and Christian Lydersen, Norwegian Polar Institute)

Although singing complex songs is common amongst songbirds, most mammals lack this ability. But two species of baleen whales — the humpback, Megaptera novaeangliae, and the bowhead, Balaena mysticetus — are amongst the rare exceptions.

The more ubiquitous humpback is better known than the mysterious bowhead whale, whose geographic range is restricted to the Arctic. In fact, bowhead whales got their name from their massive, dome-shaped skull that they use to bash through sea ice that may be as much as 60 centimeters (2 feet) thick. They have the largest mouth of any animal, festooned with two rows of about 300 vertical baleen plates, which at 300-450 centimeters (9.8 - 15 feet) long are the largest of any whale. Bowhead whales are insulated against frigid Arctic waters with an exceptionally thick layer of blubber.