With lifespans over 200 years, what is the Bowhead whale's secret to long life?

With lifespans topping 200 years, the 20-metre-long bowhead whales live longer than any other mammal and seems to be as good as impervious to cancer. — E. HUMMEL/blickwinkel/dpa

It has the largest mouth of any animal and uses its truck-sized curved head to batter through Arctic ice to surface from the depths.

And while swimming in freezing waters and smashing cranium-first up into ice sheets might not seem like the best way to guarantee longevity, such bone-chilling rough and tumble is no obstacle to the bowhead whale.