Well over 50,000 bowheads existed before their discovery and exploitation by Europeans began in the sixteenth or seventeenth century. Today the world population is probably no more than about 5,000 individuals. Northern Canadian waters provide seasonal habitat for most of the remaining world population. Bowheads closely resemble right whales in general body shape and size. The white zone on the peduncle and fluke region may increase in extent as the animal grows older.
Newborn bowheads are light gray.
The baleen of the bowhead can be nearly twice as long as the right whale's. Lengths of more than 4 m have been reliably reported. The bowhead's dark baleen is highly elastic, and the fringes are long and fine. The bowhead maintains a close association with sea ice, although during summer and fall it can be found in completely open water. Bowheads are known to be capable of breaking through new ice 22 cm thick.