Century-Old Harpoon Discovered in World's Oldest Mammal
In 2007, Inuit whalers in Alaska discovered a 100-year-old harpoon embedded in a bowhead whale, indicating the whale's age to be around 115 years. This finding highlights the exceptional longevity of bowhead whales, which can live over 200 years, making them the longest-living mammals. The harpoon, an exploding lance from the late 1800s, was identified by a historian, adding to the evidence of the species' resilience and survival despite historical commercial whaling.