Predators

Killer whales are the only natural predators of the bowhead whale. Killer whales hunt Bowheads in packs, usually targeting young, more vulnerable prey. Bowheads can avoid killer whales by escaping to areas with a lot of floating ice. Killer whales will not swim in heavily iced areas for fear of damaging their dorsal fins. Although Bowheads are capable of breaking through ice up to twenty centimetres thick with their strong skulls, some bowheads die from suffocation when they get caught under extra-thick blocks of ice.