Bowhead whales may live for 200 years

Scientists in the US are now saying some bowhead whales may be more than 200 years old. They recently studied four whales that had been killed by Inupiat who live on Alaska’s North Slope and found these whales’ ages ranged from 135 to 211 years old. The whales’ ages were determined by looking at chemical changes in their eyes.

Bowhead whales had previously been thought to live between 80 and 100 years, but Inupiat weren’t surprised to learn whales may be the longest lived mammals around. That’s because since 1981 Inupiat hunters have found six ancient ivory and stone harpoon points embedded in whale blubber — harpoons that haven’t been used since the 1880s.

According to the International Whaling Commission, Inupiat can kill around 50 bowheads a year as part of their subsistence rights.