Abstract
Bowhead whales are a member of Balaenidae (right whales), an ancient lineage stretching back at least 20 million years. Despite this long history, the early evolution of right whales remains obscured by a notoriously patchy fossil record. This pattern only changes about 7–6 million years ago (Ma), when balaenids suddenly appear around the globe in a variety of shapes and sizes. Bowhead whales arose during this radiation and initially shared the oceans with several smaller balaenids, some of them a mere 6–7m long. This diverse assemblage abruptly declined with the onset of the ice ages about 3Ma, which hit small baleen whales (including balaenids) especially hard. Thanks to their larger size, bowhead whales persisted, and eventually turned into polar specialists found exclusively in the Arctic.
Published Version
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