Fin-backed whale, Finner, Razorback, Finback, Finback whale, Common rorqual, Herring whale, Razorback whale
The Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is a cetacean belonging to the parvorder of baleen whales. It is the second-longest species of cetacean on Earth after the Blue whale. American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews called the fin whale "the greyhound of the sea... for its beautiful, slender body is built like a racing yacht and the animal can surpass the speed of the fastest ocean steamship." Like all other large whales, the fin whale was heavily hunted during the 20th century. As a result, it is now an endangered species.
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DiurnalDiurnal animals are active during the daytime, with a period of sleeping or other inactivity at night. The timing of activity by an animal depends ...
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NocturnalNocturnality is an animal behavior characterized by being active during the night and sleeping during the day. The common adjective is "nocturnal",...
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CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
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PiscivoresA piscivore is a carnivorous animal that eats primarily fish. Piscivorous is equivalent to the Greek-derived word ichthyophagous. Fish were the die...
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PlanktivoreA planktivore is an aquatic organism that feeds on planktonic food, including zooplankton and phytoplankton. Phytoplankton are usually photosynthet...
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AquaticAn aquatic animal is an animal, either vertebrate or invertebrate, which lives in water for most or all of its life. It may breathe air or extract ...
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PrecocialPrecocial species are those in which the young are relatively mature and mobile from the moment of birth or hatching. Precocial species are normall...
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CosmopolitanAnimals with cosmopolitan distribution are those whose range extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Another aspect of cos...
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NatatorialNatatorial animals are those adapted for swimming. Some fish use their pectoral fins as the primary means of locomotion, sometimes termed labriform...
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ViviparousAmong animals, viviparity is the development of the embryo inside the body of the parent. The term 'viviparity' and its adjective form 'viviparous'...
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MonogamyMonogamy is a form of relationship in which both the male and the female has only one partner. This pair may cohabitate in an area or territory for...
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MigratingAnimal migration is the relatively long-distance movement of individual animals, usually on a seasonal basis. It is the most common form of migrati...
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starts withThe Fin whale is brownish to dark or light gray dorsally and white ventrally. The left side of the head is dark gray, while the right side exhibits a complex pattern of contrasting light and dark markings. On the right lower jaw is a white or light gray "right mandible patch", which sometimes extends out as a light "blaze" laterally and dorsally unto the upper jaw and back to just behind the blowholes. Two narrow dark stripes originate from the eye and ear, the former widening into a large dark area on the shoulder - these are separated by a light area called the "interstripe wash". These markings are more prominent on individuals in the North Atlantic than in the North Pacific, where they can appear indistinct. The left side exhibits similar but much fainter markings. Dark, oval-shaped areas of pigment called "flipper shadows" extend below and posterior to the pectoral fins. This type of asymmetry is seen in Omura's whales and occasionally in minke whales. It was thought to have evolved because the whale swims on its right side when surface lunging and it sometimes circles to the right while at the surface above a prey patch. However, the whales just as often circle to the left. No accepted hypothesis explains the asymmetry. It has paired blowholes and a broad, flat, V-shaped rostrum. A light V-shaped marking, the chevron, begins behind the blowholes and extends back and then forward again. The Fin whale has a series of 56-100 pleats or grooves along the bottom of the body that run from the tip of the chin to the navel that allow the throat area to expand greatly during feeding. It has a curved, prominent dorsal fin that ranges in height from 26-75 cm (10-30 in), lying about three-quarters of the way along the back. Its flippers are small and tapered and its tail is wide, pointed at the tip, and notched in the center. When the whale surfaces, the dorsal fin is visible soon after the spout. The spout is vertical and narrow and can reach heights of 6 m (20 ft) or more.
This species is distributed throughout the globe, though it is rarely seen in tropical or icy polar seas. It is found in the Pacific, Indian, Atlantic, and Arctic Oceans. It has two subspecies: the northern fin whale, which inhabits the North Atlantic; and the southern fin whale, which lives in the Southern Ocean. It is the only rorqual found commonly in the Mediterranean. They inhabit the polar and temperate zones of major and open seas as well as, less commonly, the tropical oceans. They more commonly live in shelf and coastal waters, never in water that is less than a depth of 200 meters.
Fin whales are one of the most sociable of whale species, often congregating in family groups of 6 to 10 members. Sometimes they gather in groups of almost 250 individuals during migration periods or near feeding grounds. This species is highly migratory: they usually live in colder feeding water during spring and early summer, and in autumn and winter they go back to warmer waters to breed. A fin whale is a filter feeder and hunts by swimming with its mouth open towards its prey, taking in large amounts of water as well as food. Fin whales communicate with loud low-pitched sounds. The purpose of these noises is unknown, but they may play a part in helping whales to locate each other or attract a mate.
Fin whales are carnivores (piscivores) and mainly eat plankton-sized animals including fish, crustaceans, and squid.
Fin whales are regarded as monogamous, often being seen during the mating season in pairs. Mating takes place in the northern hemisphere between November and January, and the southern hemisphere between June to September. After an 11-11.5-month gestation period, one calf is born. A calf is precocial at birth and is able to swim as soon as it is born. A mother nurses her baby for 6 to 8 months. The calf is about 14 meters long when it is weaned, whereupon it travels to a polar feeding area with its mother and learns there to feed independently of its mother. Males become reproductively mature at 6-10 years of age. Females give birth to a calf every two years once they reach reproductive maturity between 3 to 12 years of age.
Fin whales, like other large whales, are threatened by changes to the environment, including habitat loss, climate change and toxins. At present, fin whales are threatened by manmade injuries, the most serious being collisions with boats. They are also threatened by commercial whaling. The majority of whale meat is bought on the Japanese market.
There are rough estimates of this species' populations for specific regions: North Atlantic - 53,000 whales; Mediterranean Sea - fewer than 10,000 whales; North Pacific - 17,000 whales; Southern Hemisphere - 38,185 whales. Currently, the Fin whale is classified as Endangered (EN).
Fin whales have a place at the top of the food chain and an important role as regards the marine environment's overall health, consuming vast amounts of plankton as well as other prey items.
Social animals are those animals that interact highly with other animals, usually of their own species (conspecifics), to the point of having a rec...