A Bowhead Whale in the Bering Sea

In the waters between Russia and Alaska lies a sea so rich in wildlife and so varied in habitat that it is considered one of the world’s most productive marine environments.
Covering almost a million square miles (2.5 million square kilometers), the Bering Sea supports vast populations of fish, birds, whales, and other marine mammals.
And conservationists are fighting to keep it that way.

The endangered bowhead Whale (Balaena mysticetus) gets its name from its oddly curved, huge jaws, which resemble an archer's bow.
The bowhead's enormous mouth and head are believed to be able to break through thick ice.
In the summer the bowheads move through the Bering Strait deeper into Arctic waters as the ice melts. They swim with their mouths open, straining seawater for plankton, crustaceans, and other small marine creatures.

Here are two links to hear a bowhead whale:

http://www.chez.com/cetacean/baleine.wav

http://www.dosits.org/gallery/mp3/bow1.mp3
Bowhead whale moans recorded in the Arctic Ocean, off Point Barrow, Alaska. ©North Slope Borough, Barrow, Alaska