# Bowhead whale (*Balaena mysticetus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/bowhead-whale  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is a marine mammal in the family Balaenidae, order Cetacea and suborder Mysticeti, part of the whales and dolphins group. It is a giant animal with an adult body mass of 100 tonnes, and the lowest value reported by our sources is 80 tonnes. An invertivore with a carnivore trophic level, it feeds on zooplankton and is cathemeral in its activity pattern. The species is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category, and it has a lifespan of 40 years.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 80 t – 100 t |
| Length | Not recorded |
| Lifespan | 40 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | zooplankton |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 304 days – 380 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 17.5 years – 22.5 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.3 |
| Active | Day and night (cathemeral) |
| Lifestyle | Marine |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Cetacea
- family: Balaenidae
- genus: Balaena
- species: *Balaena mysticetus* Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms: *Balaena mysticetus arctica*, *Balaena mysticetus borealis*, *Balaena mysticetus groenlandica*, *Balaena mysticetus pitlekajensis*, *Balaena mysticetus roysii*, *Baloena mysticetus*

## Common questions

### How heavy is a bowhead whale?

The bowhead whale has an adult body mass of 100 tonnes. The lowest value reported by our sources is 80 tonnes.

### What does the bowhead whale eat?

The bowhead whale eats zooplankton. It is classed as an invertivore with a carnivore trophic level.

### Is the bowhead whale endangered?

No. It is listed as Least Concern (LC) on the IUCN Red List, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a bowhead whale live?

The bowhead whale has a lifespan of 40 years.

### What kind of animal is the bowhead whale?

The bowhead whale is a marine mammal in the whales and dolphins group, belonging to the family Balaenidae in the order Cetacea.

### How many young does a bowhead whale have?

The bowhead whale has 1 young per litter, at a rate of 0.3 litters per year, after a gestation period of 379.9 days.

### Who named the bowhead whale?

The bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus, was named by Linnaeus, 1758.

### What are other names for the bowhead whale?

Other English names are Bowhead, Whale-fish, Whalebone whale, Greenland whale and Bunch-back whale.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/bowhead-whale