Sexual Behavior of Bowhead Whales Observed Off the North Coast of Alaska

Abstract

... on 8 May 1976 approximately 32 km east of Point Barrow ... we observed and photographed a group of six bowhead whales engaged in sexual behavior in an open water "lead" in the pack ice. ... A series of 15, 35 mm photographs taken with a motor drive attachment provided a clear record of the observation. ... The aspect of each whale will be described as dorsal, lateral, or ventral, depending on which surface of the whale was toward the observer. ...