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What the sources say

Bowhead WhaleBalaena mysticetus

Every figure, record and mechanism on the Bowhead Whale profile was written from a source, and this is the working table behind it: 54 claims checked word for word against these sources. The left column is what the page says. The right column is the source's own words, copied, not paraphrased; a ... marks a cut and[brackets] an insertion. Open any source and check it yourself.

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Source
01

NOAA Fisheries

Bowhead Whale. NOAA Fisheries.

The page saysA bow-shaped skull that breaks through sea ice
The source saysThe bow-shaped skull can be over 16.5 feet long—about a third of a bowhead's body length. ... The bowhead's large, thick skull allows them to break through 8-inch-thick sea ice.Note: tagline; 'smash' and 'built to' replaced with the source's 'break through'
The page saysArctic and subarctic seas with seasonal sea ice
The source saysreside almost exclusively in Arctic and subarctic waters experiencing seasonal sea ice coverageNote: stats.habitat, part 1 of 3; a habitat line, claims no exclusivity
The page saysfrom the Bering and Chukchi seas to Baffin Bay
The source saysBowhead whales inhabit the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas, Hudson Bay and Foxe Basin, Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, the Sea of Okhotsk, and in waters from eastern Greenland and Spitsbergen to eastern SiberiaNote: stats.habitat, part 2 of 3
The page saysmostly between 60° and 75° north latitude
The source saysprimarily between 60° and 75° north latitudeNote: stats.habitat, part 3 of 3
The page saysKrill, copepods, other invertebrates and small fish
The source saysfeed almost exclusively on marine invertebrates, including small to moderately sized crustaceans, such as shrimp-like euphausiids (i.e., krill) and copepods. They also ingest other invertebrates and small fish.Note: stats.diet; 'small' moved back onto fish as in the source; a list of foods, claims no exclusivity
The page saysA bow-shaped skull about a third of its body length, large and thick enough to break through sea ice 8 inches thick
The source saysThe bow-shaped skull can be over 16.5 feet long—about a third of a bowhead's body length. ... The bowhead's large, thick skull allows them to break through 8-inch-thick sea ice.Note: stats.superpower; 'dense' and 'breathing hole' cut, not in the source
The page saysBowhead whales (*Balaena mysticetus*) live almost exclusively in Arctic and subarctic seas
The source saysreside almost exclusively in Arctic and subarctic waters experiencing seasonal sea ice coverageNote: body; restores 'almost exclusively' and 'subarctic'
The page saysthe Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort seas, Hudson Bay, Baffin Bay, the Sea of Okhotsk, and the waters from eastern Greenland and Spitsbergen to eastern Siberia
The source saysBowhead whales inhabit the Bering, Chukchi, and Beaufort seas, Hudson Bay and Foxe Basin, Baffin Bay and Davis Strait, the Sea of Okhotsk, and in waters from eastern Greenland and Spitsbergen to eastern SiberiaNote: body range list, a subset of NOAA's
The page saysmostly between 60° and 75° north
The source saysprimarily between 60° and 75° north latitudeNote: body
The page saysAdults can grow to 62 feet long and weigh up to 200,000 pounds
The source saysWeight Up to 200,000 pounds Length Up to 62 feetNote: body
The page sayswrapped in a blubber layer 17 to 19 inches thick, thicker than any other whale's
The source saysa 17- to 19-inch thick blubber layer—thicker than that of any other whaleNote: body
The page saysA bowhead's skull is bow-shaped and can run more than 16.5 feet long, about a third of the whale's body length
The source saysThe bow-shaped skull can be over 16.5 feet long—about a third of a bowhead's body length.Note: body; 'can' restored
The page saysThat large, thick skull lets it break through sea ice 8 inches thick, and some Alaska Native whalers have even reported whales surfacing through two feet of ice
The source saysThe bowhead's large, thick skull allows them to break through 8-inch-thick sea ice. Some Alaska Native whalers have even reported whales surfacing through 2 feet of ice.Note: body; 'lets' glosses 'allows them to'
The page saysA bowhead's mouth holds the longest baleen plates of any whale
The source saysBowhead whales have the longest baleen plates of all whalesNote: body
The page saysIt feeds by straining huge volumes of seawater through those plates, which work like the teeth of a comb
The source saysthey filter their food by straining huge volumes of ocean water through their baleen plates (like the teeth of a comb)Note: body
The page saysIts food is almost exclusively invertebrates, including crustaceans such as krill and copepods, along with some small fish
The source saysfeed almost exclusively on marine invertebrates, including small to moderately sized crustaceans, such as shrimp-like euphausiids (i.e., krill) and copepods. They also ingest other invertebrates and small fish.Note: body; replaces 'mostly on krill and copepods, tiny drifting crustaceans'
The page saysScientists estimate a bowhead needs to eat about 100 metric tons, more than 220,000 pounds, of prey a year
The source saysScientists estimate that a bowhead whale needs to eat about 100 metric tons (over 220,000 pounds) of prey per yearNote: body; 'just to keep its enormous body running' cut
The page saysStone harpoon tips recovered from harvested bowheads show these whales live well over 100 years, and newer techniques allow more precise age estimates
The source saysBased on the recovery of stone harpoon tips from harvested bowheads, it is evident that bowhead whales live well over 100 years. However, new techniques allow for more precise estimation of bowhead whale ageNote: body; 'still lodged in the blubber' cut
The page saysCommercial whaling for bowheads off Alaska began in the early 1800s
The source saysCommercial whaling for bowheads off Alaska began in the early 1800sNote: body; 'off Alaska' restored
The page saysBy the time it effectively ended in 1921, whaling had driven the worldwide population below 3,000 whales
The source saysBy the time commercial whaling of bowheads effectively ended in 1921, the worldwide bowhead abundance had declined to less than 3,000 whales. ... Commercial whaling drove global abundance down to less than 3,000 by the 1920s.Note: body; 'driven' rests on the second sentence; 'below' glosses 'less than'
The page saysThe Western Arctic stock, the only one in U.S. waters
The source saysThe only stock found within U.S. waters is the Western Arctic stockNote: body
The page sayshas since recovered to about 15,229 whales by a 2019 estimate, and it is now the largest bowhead population in the world
The source saysWestern Arctic bowheads have shown considerable recovery since the end of commercial whaling in the early 1900s, and they now comprise the largest population of bowheads in the world ... an ice based survey in spring 2019 and an aerial survey in summer 2019 , and indicates there are approximately 15,229 Western Arctic bowhead whales.Note: body; NOAA page updated 07/14/2026 calls this the current estimate
The page saysthe United States lists it as endangered under the Endangered Species Act
The source saysThe bowhead whale is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.Note: body; NOAA page updated 07/14/2026
The page saysThe smaller Sea of Okhotsk population remains dangerously low, at only a few hundred whales
The source saysthe smaller Okhotsk Sea population, more heavily exploited in the past, remains at a dangerously low population of only a few hundred individualsNote: body; no longer framed as the reason for the ESA listing
The page saysThreats include climate change, vessel strikes, fishing-gear entanglement and predation
The source saysThreats Climate change, Contaminants, Entanglement in fishing gear, Ocean noise, Offshore oil and gas development, Predation, Vessel strikesNote: body; a subset of NOAA's list; 'mostly human-made' cut
The page saysscars consistent with killer whale attacks turn up on about 8 percent of subsistence-hunted bowheads, and the recorded rate has increased each decade
The source saysScars consistent with killer whale attacks were found on approximately 8 percent of subsistence hunted whales, and rates have increased each decade. This may be due to better reporting and/or sampling biasNote: body; 'recorded' keeps NOAA's reporting-bias caveat
The page saysWith its skull. A bowhead's bow-shaped skull can be over 16.5 feet long, about a third of its body length, and that large, thick skull lets it break through sea ice 8 inches thick. Some Alaska Native whalers have even reported bowheads surfacing through two feet of ice.
The source saysThe bow-shaped skull can be over 16.5 feet long—about a third of a bowhead's body length. ... The bowhead's large, thick skull allows them to break through 8-inch-thick sea ice. Some Alaska Native whalers have even reported whales surfacing through 2 feet of ice.Note: faq 2; 'lets' glosses 'allows them to'

Source
02

Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan

Balaena mysticetus (bowhead). Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

The page saysbaleen plates up to nearly 15 feet long
The source says300 baleen plates measuring 300-450 centimeters in vertical lengthNote: stats.diet; 450 cm = 14.76 ft. ADW 2002 is old, but NOAA gives no plate length and a size figure is exempt from the date rule
The page saysabout 300 of them, each up to nearly 15 feet long
The source says300 baleen plates measuring 300-450 centimeters in vertical lengthNote: body; 450 cm = 14.76 ft
The page saysdangerLevel: Low
The source saysThe only way in which Balaena mysticetus may interfere with humans is in marine fishing. The large bowhead whale has been known to collide with sailing vessels on rare occassions as well as get caught in netsNote: task #445; no source describes an injury to a person

Source
03

Keane et al. 2015

Keane et al. (2015). Insights into the Evolution of Longevity from the Bowhead Whale Genome. Cell Reports.

The page saysDNA-repair genes that may help it resist cancer
The source sayswe identify gene gain and loss involving genes associated with DNA repair, cell-cycle regulation, cancer, and aging ... suggest possible players involved in adaptive genetic changes conferring cancer resistanceNote: tagline; 'may help' keeps the paper's 'suggest possible players'
The page saysa lifespan estimated at over two centuries
The source saysestimated to live over 200 yearsNote: tagline; 'estimated' restored from the source
The page saysBowheads are thought to be the longest-lived mammals known
The source sayssuggesting it is the longest-lived mammalNote: body; 'thought to be' keeps 'suggesting'
The page saysOne whale's age was estimated at around 211 years, give or take about 35
The source saysestimated age of one specimen 211 SE 35 yearsNote: body; SE glossed as 'give or take'
The page saysA Thousand Times the Cells
The source sayslarge whales with over 1,000 times more cells than humansNote: blockquote lead, compared with humans as in the source
The page saysLarge whales carry over a thousand times more cells than a person does, yet show no increased cancer risk, which suggests natural mechanisms that suppress cancer more effectively
The source sayslarge whales with over 1,000 times more cells than humans do not exhibit an increased cancer risk ( Caulin and Maley, 2011 ), suggesting the existence of natural mechanisms that can suppress cancer more effectively in these animalsNote: blockquote
The page saysGenome sequencing has pointed to possible players
The source sayssuggest possible players involved in adaptive genetic changes conferring cancer resistanceNote: body
The page saysbowhead-specific mutations in ERCC1
The source saysBowhead-specific mutations in genes associated with cancer and aging (e.g., ERCC1)Note: body, first half
The page saysa DNA-repair gene
The source saysERCC1 is a member of the nucleotide excision repair pathwayNote: body; ERCC1 as a repair gene
The page saysa duplicated repair gene, PCNA
The source saysDuplications in genes associated with DNA repair, cell cycle, and aging (e.g., PCNA)Note: body
The page sayswith both copies switched on in the whale's muscle, kidney, retina and testis
The source saysproliferating cell nuclear antigen ( PCNA ) is duplicated in bowhead whales ... both PCNA copies are expressed in bowhead whale muscle, kidney, retina, and testisNote: body; 'switched on' glosses 'expressed'
The page saysPossibly longer than any other mammal
The source saysis estimated to live over 200 years and is possibly the longest-living mammalNote: faq 1 opener; 'longer than any other mammal' restates 'longest-living mammal', hedged with the paper's 'possibly'
The page saysOne bowhead's age was estimated at around 211 years, give or take about 35, and the researchers who sequenced the bowhead genome say that suggests it is the longest-lived mammal
The source saysestimated age of one specimen 211 SE 35 years), suggesting it is the longest-lived mammalNote: faq 1; 'genetic aging technique' cut: the estimate cited (George et al. 1999) used aspartic acid racemization
The page saysLarge whales carry over a thousand times more cells than a human yet show no increased cancer risk
The source sayslarge whales with over 1,000 times more cells than humans do not exhibit an increased cancer riskNote: faq 4; 'rate' changed back to 'risk'
The page saysThe bowhead genome study found bowhead-specific mutations in a DNA-repair gene called ERCC1, plus a duplicated repair gene, PCNA
The source saysBowhead-specific mutations in genes associated with cancer and aging (e.g., ERCC1) Duplications in genes associated with DNA repair, cell cycle, and aging (e.g., PCNA)Note: faq 4
The page sayswith both copies switched on
The source saysboth PCNA copies are expressed in bowhead whale muscle, kidney, retina, and testisNote: faq 4
The page saysThe researchers suggest changes like these are possible players in the whale's cancer resistance
The source sayssuggest possible players involved in adaptive genetic changes conferring cancer resistanceNote: faq 4; replaces 'unusually effective built-in cancer defenses'

Source
04

Simon et al. 2009

Simon et al. (2009). Behaviour and kinematics of continuous ram filtration in bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus). Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences.

The page saysBowheads tagged off West Greenland swam at under one meter per second while feeding at depth
The source saysUsing digital tags with three-axis accelerometers, we studied bowhead whales feeding off West Greenland ... moving at very slow speeds (less than 1 m s(-1)), allowing them to filter feed continuously at depthNote: body; study location restored
The page saysyet pushed about 3 cubic meters of water through their baleen every second
The source saysDespite the slow speeds, the large mouth aperture provides a water filtration rate of approximately 3 m(3) s(-1)Note: body; 'every second' glosses s(-1)
The page saysOver a single dive that works out to roughly 2,000 tonnes of water and prey filtered
The source saysamounting to some 2000 tonnes of water and prey filtered per diveNote: body; 'a single dive' glosses 'per dive'
The page saysA huge amount, despite a very slow swim
The source saysDespite the slow speeds, the large mouth aperture provides a water filtration rate of approximately 3 m(3) s(-1), amounting to some 2000 tonnes of water and prey filtered per diveNote: faq 3 opener; replaces 'surprisingly little effort', which the paper's high-drag conclusion contradicts; no figure stated, so the hedges on the figures don't apply
The page saysBowheads tagged off West Greenland swam at under one meter per second while feeding at depth, pushing roughly 3 cubic meters of water through their baleen every second. Over a single dive that adds up to around 2,000 tonnes of water and prey filtered.
The source saysUsing digital tags with three-axis accelerometers, we studied bowhead whales feeding off West Greenland ... moving at very slow speeds (less than 1 m s(-1)), allowing them to filter feed continuously at depth. Despite the slow speeds, the large mouth aperture provides a water filtration rate of approximately 3 m(3) s(-1), amounting to some 2000 tonnes of water and prey filtered per diveNote: faq 3; 'walking pace' cut; 'every second' glosses s(-1); 'a single dive' glosses 'per dive'

Source
05

Cooke & Reeves 2018

Cooke & Reeves (2018). Balaena mysticetus. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2018: e.T2467A50347659.

The page saysThe IUCN Red List rated the species Least Concern in 2018
The source saysLeast ConcernNote: body; 2018 is the assessment year in the DOI; the writer's 'strong enough that' cause was cut

Source
06

Tervo et al. 2011

Tervo et al. (2011). Evidence for simultaneous sound production in the bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus). The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America.

The page saysA bowhead can make two sounds of different pitch at the same moment, a capability that may let it sing more complex songs.
The source saysstrongly indicating that bowhead whales are capable of simultaneous dual frequency sound production. This capability may function to enable more complex singingNote: vibe.reason (task #990); 'two sounds of different pitch' glosses 'dual frequency'

How the table was made: a writer drafted the profile from these sources and logged each claim with its quote, a reviewer with nothing but this table checked every sentence said no more than its quote, and a script confirmed each quote appears word for word in the source. The method is in the site'sAbout page.