John+Parsley-+Bowhead+Whale


 * __ The __**** __Bowhead__ __Whale__ - Balaena mysticetus **


 * **__ General description: __**
 * The bowhead is Arctic baleen whale.
 * Has a bow-shaped head that is up to 40% of its body length.
 * They are rich in blubber and have two blowholes that it breathes through.
 * Have no dorsal fin and no throat groves.
 * Filter feeders.
 * Can leap entirely out of water.
 * Lives about 40 years.
 * Travels in pods.
 * Swim at 2-7 mph, but goes about 10-12 mph in short burst when in danger.
 * [[image:Parsley2.gif link="http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Bowheadwhale.shtml"]]
 * **__ Classification: __**
 * __Kingdom:__ Animalia (animal)
 * __Phylum:__ Chordata (vertebrates)
 * __Class:__ Mammaila (mammals)
 * __Order:__ Cetacea (whales and dolphins)
 * __Suborder:__ Mysticeti (baleen whales)
 * __Family:__ Balaenidae
 * __Genus:__ Balaena
 * __Species:__ Mysticetus
 * **__ Size: __**
 * Grow to be about 50-60 feet long.
 * Weighs over 80-110 tons.
 * The females are slightly larger than males.
 * The arched mouth is up to 10 feet wide and 20 feet deep.
 * The eyes are very small and the lips are huge.
 * **__ Diet: __**
 * They are filter feeders that feed on plankton and tiny crustaceans like krill, copepods, etc.
 * They are skimmers that feed while swimming with mouth open. They are constantly eating.
 * Sometimes they are also bottom feeders that eat benthic prey from mud on the ocean floor.
 * **__Reproduction:__**
 * Their gestation period is about 12-16 months.
 * The calf is born tail first and near the ocean surface.
 * The newborn instinctively swims to the surface within 10 seconds for it first breath.
 * The newborn is about 17 feet long and weighs about 5-6 tons.
 * Twins are rare
 * The baby is nurtured with its mother’s milk and is weaned in about a year.
 * Bowhead whales reach puberty at six years old.
 * **__ Habitat __**
 * They live exclusively in the Arctic at the surface of the ocean.
 * [[image:Parsley3.gif caption="http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/whales/species/Bowheadwhale.shtml"]]
 * **__ Diving: __**
 * They can dive for almost an hour, but they usually dive for about 4-15 minutes.
 * They can dive to depths of 500 feet.
 * **__ Social Groups: __**
 * They are not extremely social and congregated in small pods of about 3 whales in the spring and pods of about 50 whales in the fall.
 * **__ Why the Bowhead is endangered: __**
 * They are over hunted.
 * Although, native people are still allowed to hunt them.
 * **__ Conservation efforts: __**
 * The hunting for bowhead whales is illegal except for native people.