The Bowhead Whale

The Bowhead Whale: Balaena mysticetus: Biology and Human Interactions covers bowhead biology from their anatomy and behavior, to conservation, distribution, ecology and evolution. The book also discusses the biological and physical aspects of the Arctic ecosystem in which these whales live, with careful attention paid to the dramatic changes taking place. A special section of the book describes the interactions of humans with bowheads in past and present, focusing on their importance to Indigenous communities and the challenges regarding entanglement in fishing gear, industrial noise and ship strikes.

This volume brings together the knowledge of bowheads in one place for easy reference for scientists that study the species, marine mammal biologists, but, equally important, for everyone who is interested in the Arctic.

• Presents the only current book dedicated to this species
• Includes short, high-impact chapters that make it possible to review all bowhead biology in one compact volume
• Illustrated with never-before published photos of bowheads in their natural environment
• Provides a platform for an in-depth understanding of indigenous whaling

Researchers and academics in marine and conservation biology, specifically those targeting marine mammal research and species management

Section I: Basic Biology
1. Higher-Level Phylogeny of Baleen Whales
2. Fossil Record
3. The Stocks of Bowheads
4. Distribution and behavior of Bering-Beaufort-Chukchi bowhead whales as inferred by telemetry
5. Distribution, migrations and ecology of the populations in the Atlantic and the Okhotsk Sea
6. Abundance
7. Life History, Growth, and Form
8. Prenatal Development
9. Anatomy of skull and mandible
10. Postcranial skeleton and musculature
11. Hematology, Serum- , and Urine Composition
12. Anatomy and Physiology of the Gastrointestinal System
13. Female and Male Reproduction
14. Anatomy and Function of Feeding
15. Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Systems
16. Thermoregulation and Energetics
17. Brain
18. Sensory Systems
19. Endocrinology and Blubber Physiology
20. Molecular Insights into the Derived Anatomy and Physiology of Bowhead Whales
21. Age Estimation
22. Acoustic behavior
23. Bowhead whale behavior: Natural and potentially disturbed
24. Ecological Variation in the Western Beaufort Sea

Section II: The Bowhead Ecosystem
25. The Physical Oceanographic Setting of Bowhead Whale Habitat
26. Biological Environment of Bowhead Whale Habitats
27. Bowhead whale ecology in changing high-latitude ecosystems
28. Diet and Prey
29. Predators Impacts of Predation
30. Diseases and Parasites

Section III: Interactions with Humans
31. Whaling in Indigenous Cultures of the Arctic
32. Current Indigenous Whaling
33. Commercial Whaling in Historical Times
34. The Role of Indigenous Knowledge in Research and Management of the Bowhead Whale
35. Effects of noise
36. Fishing gear Entanglement and Vessel Collisions
37. Contaminants
38. Conservation and Management
39. Past, Present, and Future