Crossword Genius

Nakedly howl when man harpooned poor whale (7)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

bowhead

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'whale' is the definition.
(I know that bowhead is a type of baleen whale)

'nakedly howl when man harpooned poor' is the wordplay.
I cannot quite see how this works, but
'when' could be 'e' (I've seen this in other clues) and 'e' is found within the answer.
'man' could be 'bo' and 'bo' is found within the answer.
This explanation may well be incorrect...

Can you help me to learn more?

(Another definition for bowhead that I've seen is " protected swimmer".)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app