Observations on the ice-breaking and ice navigation behavior of migrating bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) near Point Barrow, Alaska, Spring 1985

Abstract

From acoustic and visual data, it was estimated that 665 whales passed the observation perches during this four-day period, but only 117 (17%) whales were seen. The remaining whales either passed underneath the ice or were beyond the range of observers. Whales used their heads, in the area of the blowholes, to push up against the ice and fracture it, creating a hummock of ice in which they were able to respire. Acoustic tracking of whales showed they avoided a large multi-year ice floe seaward of the observation perch. Bowheads probably use their calls to assess the thickness of ice in their migratory path. -from Authors