Bowhead whale

Balaena, Balaena mysticetus Temporal range: Earliest Pleistocene-Present
Size comparison against an average human
Conservation status
Least Concern  (IUCN 3.1)[1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Chordata
Class:	Mammalia
Order:	Cetacea
Suborder:	Mysticeti
Family:	Balaenidae
Genus:	Balaena
Species:	B. mysticetus
Binomial name
Balaena mysticetus Linnaeus, 1758
Bowhead whale range

The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is an Arctic baleen whale, a right whale with a large, bow-shaped head that is up to 40% of its body length. The arched mouth is up to 10 feet (3 m) wide and 20 feet (6 m) deep. The eyes are very small and lips are huge. Bowheads live in pods, are rich in blubber (a subcutaneous layer 20-inch (50 cm) thick in places), and have 2 blowholes.

1. ↑ "Balaena mysticetus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2008. International Union for Conservation of Nature. 2008. Retrieved 2009-01-31.