---
title: "Bowhead Whale"
description: "Balaena mysticetus — Mammiferi. The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), sometimes known as the Greenland right whale, Arctic whale, and polar whale, is a species of baleen whale belonging to the family Balaenidae and is the only living representative of the genus Balaena."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/bowhead-whale
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Bowhead Whale

> Balaena mysticetus — Mammiferi. The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), sometimes known as the Greenland right whale, Arctic whale, and polar whale, is a species of baleen whale belonging to the family Balaenidae and is the only living representative of the genus Balaena.

- Scientific name: *Balaena mysticetus*
- Category: `mammals` (Mammiferi)
- Habitats: `sea` (Mare e costa), `arctic` (Artico)
- iNaturalist observations: 259
- Wikidata: [Q174652](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q174652)
- iNaturalist taxon: [74103](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/74103)

## Names

- en: Bowhead Whale
- de: Grönlandwal
- es: Ballena Boreal
- fr: Baleine du Groenland
- nl: Groenlandse walvis
- pt: Baleia-da-groenlândia
- pl: Wal grenlandzki

## Countries with the most observations

CA (50), US (32), RU (7), GL (3)

## Summary

The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus), sometimes known as the Greenland right whale, Arctic whale, and polar whale, is a species of baleen whale belonging to the family Balaenidae and is the only living representative of the genus Balaena. It is the only baleen whale endemic to the Arctic and subarctic waters, and is named after its characteristic massive triangular skull, which it uses to break through Arctic ice.
Bowheads have the largest mouth of any animal, representing almost one-third of the length of the body. They also have the longest baleen plates among whales, with a maximum length of 2.97 to 5.2 metres…

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bowhead_whale

## Photo

![Bowhead Whale](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/bowhead-whale/medium.jpg)

Photo: steve b · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/310546442

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/bowhead-whale?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).