The Greenland Right Whale

Sierra Handbook of Whales and Dolphins

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The Greenland Right whale, bowhead whale or Eubalaena mysticetus is one of the most interesting whales to see up close. Early hunters named it 'right' whale in reference to 'true' or 'good', which they were for hunters because of the resourses it wielded. The right whale ranges in size from 15 to 18.5 meters and can weigh 60 to 80 tons. The female usually larger than the male. Their skin is dark, often mixed in with light or brown areas of skin and growths called callosities around the eyes, jaw, and snout. They are baleen whales, and have 230 to 360 long, narrow plates on each side of the upper jaw. They have no dorsal fin or ridge, only a rounded back. Being a baleen whale, the bowhead whale feeds on plankton by skimming through the water with it's mouth open. Bowhead whales reach sexual maturity at 4 years for both males and females. Mating season goes from March to May, with the calves being born around April or May of the following year. They have calves about every 2 or more years. Calves are born at about 4.5 meters long. The calves nurse for 5 to 6 months after the 12 month gestation period. The disribution of these animals is confined mainly to the Arctic. The bulk population of these animals is concentrated in the Chukchi, Beaufort, and Bering Seas. They are also found in the Davis Strait, Sea of Okhotsk, the Hudson Bay, and around Greenland. The bowhead whale is one of the most endangered of all whales. Their present population size is unknown, but there is thought to be anywhere from 3000 to 5000 left.

Andrea Vanessa & Erica @ the Advanced Technologies Academy