A Year in the Life of the Bowhead Whale

Ever wonder what Bowhead whales, the only baleen whale that spends it’s entire life in the Arctic and sub-arctic, do all year round? Well now you can find out by watching this gorgeous new movie put together by Native Alaskans, marine scientists and the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska. I just watched the version narrated in St. Lawrence Yupik.

Don’t speak Yupik? Then there’s a version in Inupiaq for you!

While it’s pretty awesome that Native Alaskans whose traditional way of life includes subsistence hunting of bowheads narrated the movies in their own languages, the filmmakers have also graciously arranged for the film to be narrated in english as well (although I encourage you to watch the other versions to get a taste of traditional Alaska).

If you want to know more about the making of this short film, you can check out the Arctic currents blog and Animator Hannah Foss also has a nice blog that details some of the work she did.