Photograph by @paulnicklen while on assignment for @natgeo After many years of trying, I finally got to slip into the cold waters of the Arctic ocean and stare into the eye of a massive bowhead whale. They get their name from their bow shaped mouth and head. Their elevated blowhole is designed to push through sea ice over a foot thick in order to get a breath of air. They live their entire lives in and around sea ice since their food, copepods (swarms of tiny krill-like crustaceans) live their lifecycle under the sea ice. Bowhead whales are the oldest living mammals on Earth. It is hard to believe that a bowhead whale could have been born around the time of the industrial revolution, survived through over a 100 years of whaling (their population went from 30,000 to near extinction) and yet, its biggest threat is that with the loss of ice, will come the loss of copepods. We must change our imprint on this planet. What do you think we can do to to reverse climate change? #climatechange #whales #bowheadwhale #arctic @elplanetaphoto @cristinamittermeier @natgeocreative @thephotosociety
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