MARINE LIFE
Vertebrates
Whales
Champlain Sea beach deposits found near the town of West Lake, which is just west of Ottawa, contained the bones of a large bowhead whale, the Balaena mysticetus.
From the size of the fossils found, it was estimated that this whale would have weighed approximately 50 metric tons. Although endangered, this species of whale still exists today. Below is a map that shows where the bowhead whale presently inhabits. Again, we can infer from its current distribution, that the Champlain Sea had similar environmental conditions to arctic marine waters.
