bowhead
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Bowhead
Arctic whale Balaena mysticetus with strongly curving upper jawbones supporting the plates of baleen with which it sifts planktonic crustaceans from the water. Averaging 15 m/50 ft long and 90 tonnes/100 tons in weight, these slow-moving, placid whales were once extremely common, but by the 17th century were already becoming scarce through hunting. In 2000 it was believed that only 700–1,000 bowhead whales remained in existence.
The bowhead whale eats up to 50,000 crustaceans a minute by forcing water through its 700 baleen sheets, using its 300 kg/660 lb tongue. Bowheads can be extremely long-lived. In 2000 one specimen, killed by hunters, was found to be 211 years old.
© RM 2009. Helicon Publishing is division of RM.
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