In the sea around Greenland, there are as many as 16 species of whales – from the smaller narwhal, beluga and porpoise to the gigantic baleen whales, blue whales, fin whales and humpback whales. Most whales come to the Greenland waters in the summer when it is ice-free, and there is abundant food. Only the bowhead whale, narwhal and beluga overwinter.
In summer, whale watching trips are organised from most Greenlandic towns. There is a high chance of seeing humpback whales, fin whales and minke whales, as well as porpoise and white-beaked dolphin.
The whales are divided into two groups: baleen and toothed whales. The first group has baleen plates instead of teeth. The plates are made of keratin and hang down like hundreds of vertical strings from the whale’s upper jaw.
The plates are used to filter small prey such as crustaceans, copepods and small fish, which are then swallowed.
To make room for the plates, the head and mouth are generally much larger in baleen whales than toothed whales. There are also long grooves on the pharynx and chest that allow the mouth to be extended as the whale ploughs through the water with an open mouth.
Toothed whales are capable of catching much larger prey than baleen whales. Most toothed whales feed on fish. However, killer whales can also catch seals and small whales, and sperm whales and northern bottlenose whales specialise in squid and bottom-living animals.
In addition to the mentioned whales, there are also blue whales, sei whales, North Atlantic right whales, sperm whales, northern bottlenose whales, pilot whales, killer whales, white-tailed dolphins, Atlantic white-sided dolphin and porpoise in Greenland.
Humpback Whale
Fin Whale
Bowhead Whale
Humpback Whale
Qipoqqaq (GL)
Megaptera novaeangliae (LAT)
The humpback whale is one of the largest baleen whales that you are most likely to see in Greenland. It can be 15-17 metres long and weigh up to 35 tonnes. It is easily recognisable from other whales by its up to 5-metre long flippers. Typically, also by its sensory nodes on the head and distinct tail flukes with a white underside, which it often displays before diving.
The humpback whale is very plump, heart-shaped and about 3 metres high. It likes to jump right out of the water and land with a huge splash.
During the summer (April-November), the humpback whale eats enormous amounts of krill and small fish in Greenland waters, often in fjords and close to land. Just like the fin whale, it can fish underwater with an open mouth, and it also has a unique technique where the whales work together to blow air bubbles out under or around shoals of krill and fish, whereby they are trapped inside and more easily caught.
The population of Greenland humpback whales is at least 6,000 animals, and almost all meet in winter in one specific location in the Caribbean, namely the Silver Bank off the Dominican Republic. It is a journey of over 6,000 km each way, every year. They mate under the warmer skies, and the following year, the female gives birth to a calf measuring 4-5 metres and weighing 1.5 tonnes.
The humpback whale has the most complex song of the animal kingdom, which may consist of many melodic verses that are repeated over and over. In this way, the whales communicate with each other over a distance of many kilometres, perhaps up to several hundred kilometres.
Fin Whale
Tikaagulliusaaq (GL)
Balaenoptera physalis (LAT)
The fin whale is the world’s second-largest animal, after the blue whale. It can be 17 to 24 metres long and weigh up to 80-90 tonnes. As for all baleen whales, females are the largest.
Despite its enormous weight, the fin whale is long and slender. It has a dark grey upper side and white belly. Other features include the white underside of the flippers, a small dorsal fin located far back, as well as a 5-8-metre-high powerful spout of water. The fin whale rarely shows its tail when diving.
The fin whale is found in West Greenland waters north of Upernavik and in East Greenland waters north of the ice edge. Most whales migrate south in the winter, but some are also seen in the Davis Strait throughout the year. The Greenland population is growing and estimated to about 9,000 animals.
The fin whale often dives to depths of 100-200 metres, where, with an open mouth, it ploughs its way through a shoal of krill (small crustaceans). The lower jaw dislocates, and the throat expands like a pelican, allowing the mouth to hold more water than the whale itself weighs. The fin whale’s lung capacity is 15,000 litres, and it can dive for up to 20 minutes.
The fin whale’s call is typically a short, loud, low-frequency call that can be heard by other whales up to several hundred kilometres away. The female gives birth to a 6-7-metre-long calf every 2-3 years. Twins are also possible. The adult animals can live for up to 120 years, and so they are the second oldest of all mammals, just behind the bowhead whale.
Bowhead Whale
Arfiviit (GL)
Balaena mysticetus (LAT)
The bowhead whale is a heavily built, almost barrel-shaped whale with a large head. It can be 14-18 metres long and weigh 50-90 tonnes. It is recognisable by its huge, curved mouth with a white lower jaw, a uni-coloured tail shaped like an open V, no dorsal fin and a 3-metre-high, two-piece spout of water.
In West Greenland, the bowhead whale is found from Sisimiut and north to Nordvandet at Qaanaaq. It is numerous in and near Disko Bay from January to May. The population is estimated to number about 1,500 adult animals, and there is also a smaller population (about 150 animals) in East Greenland.
The bowhead whale was close to extinction in the early 1900s after three centuries of commercial whaling. However, it was protected in 1932, and since the 1990s, the population has been growing.
The bowhead whale is the only wild baleen whale to winter in Greenland. It manages this by having the world’s thickest layer of blubber (50-60 cm). It can dive for up to an hour and uses its head as a battering ram to break through up to 1-metre thick sea ice. An adult whale can eat 3-4 tonnes of food a day, especially copepods and other small creatures, which it filters using its long plates hanging like a curtain down from its upper jaw.
The whales can hear each other’s songs and calls up to 150 kilometres away. During the mating season in winter, they impress each other with two-part singing. The female mates with several males and gives birth to a calf weighing 1 tonne about 13-14 months later. The bowhead whale can be well over 100-years-old, and the record is estimated at 211 years, making it the world’s oldest mammal.
Narwhal
Qilalugaq qernertaq (GL)
Monodon monoceros (LAT)
The narwhal is a smaller toothed whale that can grow to a length of 4-5 metres and weigh well over 1 tonne. It is black marbled on the upper side and grey-white on the underside with a few spots, and the calves are grey when born though.
The narwhal is particularly known for the male’s 2-3-metre-long, twisted tusk. Therefore, it has also been nicknamed “the unicorn of the sea”. It is uncertain what the tusk is used for, but a leading theory is that the tusk is used to impress females and deter other males.
In the summer, the narwhal is seen in numerous fjords and coves in Northwest Greenland and along the coast of East Greenland. In the autumn and winter, the sea-ice forces the whales further out to sea, where they travel in large pods following cracks in the pack ice. They can also move further south.
The narwhal is pickier than its close relative, the beluga, and feeds mostly on halibut, cod, prawns and a single species of 10-armed squid. Unlike other whales, it gorges in winter and fasts in summer.
It is an extreme diver and the deepest dive has been measured at 1864 metres. It can breathe for 30 minutes, and during dives, the lungs collapse under pressure while oxygen is stored in blood and muscle. The female gives birth to a calf every 3-4 years. Narwhal can live to well over 100 years.
Beluga
Qilalugaq qaqortaq (GL)
Delphinapterus leucas (LAT)
The beluga is easily recognisable by its completely white body. It is a smaller toothed whale, the size of its narwhal relations. Other features include a round head and a tooth-filled mouth with a mimic that makes it look both happy and angry.
In the winter, the beluga is common off West Greenland from Maniitsoq in the south to Qaanaaq in the north, and in the summer, they go to Arctic Canada to mate and give birth. It is also a rare roaming visitor in East Greenland. The population off West Greenland had significantly declined until whaling was regulated from 2005 and it is beginning to show signs of growth and there are now about 10,000 animals.
The beluga feeds on many kinds of fish such as cod, redfish and halibut, as well as crustaceans and squid. Like other toothed whales, it uses echolocation to find prey at depths of 800 metres. However, it also hunts in shallow water.
The beluga is very talkative with many distinct calls and whistles, which is why it has also been nicknamed “the canary of the sea”. The female gives birth every 3-4 years to a calf weighing less than 100 kg that is nursed for up to 2 years.
Minke Whale
Tikaagullik (GL)
Balaenoptera acutorostrata (LAT)
The minke whale is a relatively small whale that only grows up to 10 metres long and weighs a maximum of 10 tonnes. Minke whales have been seen jumping out of the water, but it is most common in Greenlandic waters is to see a spout of water and a dorsal fin. The whale is seen in fjords and along the coasts of South and West Greenland up to and including in Disko Bay – typically from May to October. However, minke whales are known to be able to show up in unusual places at abnormal times of the year. Whale watching is not specially arranged for minke whales, but you often see them on boat trips.
