© WWF / Clive Tesar
Bowhead whale
Habitat and migration
Discover more about bowhead whale habitats and migration patterns.
Where do bowhead whales live?
As with beluga whales and narwhals, bowhead whales live their whole lives in the Arctic. Bowhead whales are a coastal species that spend most of their time in shallower waters, less than 200 meters. However, dives that are double the depth – 400 meters or more – are not uncommon for bowheads and can last up to 85 minutes.
Bowhead whales are found in different parts of the Arctic. The largest and most studied stock of bowhead whales are the Bering-Chukchi-Beaufort (BCB) population of bowhead whales, which had an estimated population of 16,820 whales in 2011.
Bowhead whales are also found in:
- Eastern Canada, with an estimated 6,447 whales.
- Okhotsk Sea, with an estimated 300 whales.
- Spitsbergen, Norway with an estimated low 100s whales, though originally contained more than 25,000 individual bowhead whales.
But as climate change and human activity increases in the Arctic, bowhead whales’ habitat is under threat. Human activity has brought the threat of habitat destruction, disturbance and pollution. That’s why it is important to protect the bowhead whale’s Arctic habitat – and the Arctic blue corridors that help bowheads reach these different habitats.
© VDOS Global / WWF-Canada
Do bowhead whales migrate?
Bowhead whales migrate between summer and winter habitats following the sea ice as it expands and recedes. Bowhead whales typically migrate alone or in small groups, with mothers and their calves traveling separately from the rest of the group.
As the sea ice advances in the autumn, bowhead whales move towards their ice-covered winter habitats, following the ice edge for protection from killer whales. The sea ice offers protection for bowhead whales from killer whales. This is because a killer whale’s large dorsal fin prevents them from diving under the sea ice. Bowhead whales linger and feed along the way to their wintering grounds, traveling alone or in small groups.
As the sea ice begins to recede, bowhead whales travel back towards their summering grounds, following the ice edge or breaking up thinner sea ice with their strong heads. Both scientists and hunters have witnessed bowhead whales breaking sea ice with their heads that are 20 to 100 centimeters thick.
To learn even more about bowhead whale migration patterns – and the Arctic blue corridors they rely on – visit our interactive Arctic blue corridors report.
