By Nicholas Freymueller, Postdoctoral Researcher in Extinction Biology, Adelaide University; and Damien Fordham, Associate Professor of Global Change Ecology, Adelaide University Bowhead whales have the greatest life-span of any mammal on Earth. They can reach over 200 years in age thanks in part to their slow metabolism and cancer-suppressing genes. They are far stockier and shorter than other large baleen whales, making them perfectly adapted to life among Arctic sea ice. Their bodies are dark, verging on black. The only exception to this is the front part of their lower lips, which shines brilliant white. For many thousands of years, bowhead whales have helped maintain stable Arctic marine food webs. For millennia, they have served as a vital food source for Inuit communities, who harvest them sustainably in spring and…
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