Unbelievably, a 50 ton bowhead whale was discovered with a 19th century bomb lance fragment lodged between its neck and shoulder the bomb lance fragment was patented in 1879, making the whale between 115-130 years old according to researchers. See this amazing story from the American Cetacean Society at MSNBC here. Below is a graphic from that story.
I like this quote from John Bockstoce, an adjunct curator of the New Bedford Whaling Museum:
It probably hurt the whale, or annoyed him, but it hit him in a non-lethal place. He couldn't have been that bothered if he lived for another 100 years.
I would also like to mention that in keeping with DSN's mission statement, Bowhead whales can dive to depths greater than 500m.
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tags: bowhead whale, whaling, aging whales
This bomb lance fragment, patented in 1879, was removed from the neck of a male bowhead whale, Balaena mysticetus, killed near Barrow, Alaska, in May 2007. The shiny scars are the result of a chain saw cut.
Image: AP.
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I was very saddened to read this story.
James Hrynyshyn wrote good piece on old hunting weapons, including harpoon points of stone and ivory found in bow whales years ago. (I found it via his comment on GrrlScientist's excellent article on the same topic.)