Fin Whale

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Fin Whale
Fin Whale

The Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus) is found in all oceans of the world. They may migrate to subtropical waters for mating and calving during the winter months and to the colder areas of the Arctic and Antarctic for feeding during the summer months; although recent evidence suggests that during winter fin whales may be dispersed in deep ocean waters.


Fin Whales can weigh up to 70 tons and measure up to 88 feet. They feed mainly on small shrimp-like creatures called krill or euphausiids and schooling fish. They have been observed circling schools of fish at high speed, rolling the fish into compact balls then turning on their right side to engulf the fish. Their color pattern, including their asymmetrical jaw color, may somehow aid in the capture of such prey. They can consume up to 2 tons (1,814 kg) of food a day. As a baleen whale, it has a series of 262-473 fringed overlapping plates hanging from each side of the upper jaw, where teeth might otherwise be located. These plates consist of a fingernail-like material called keratin that frays out into fine hairs on the ends inside the mouth near the tongue. The baleen on the left side of the mouth has alternating bands of creamy-yellow and blue-gray color. On the right side, the forward 1/3 section of the plates is all creamy-yellow. The plates can measure up to 30 inches (76 cm) in length and 12 inches (30 cm) in width. During feeding, large volumes of water and food can be taken into the mouth because the pleated grooves in the throat expand. As the mouth closes water is expelled through the baleen plates, which trap the food on the inside near the tongue to be swallowed.

The fin whale's speed, plus the fact that they prefer the vastness of the open sea, gave them almost complete protection from the early whalers. With modern whaling methods, however, finback whales became easy victims. As blue whales became depleted, the whaling industry turned to the smaller, still abundant fin whales as a replacement. As many as 30,000 fin whales were slaughtered each year from 1935 to 1965. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) placed them under full protection in 1966 beginning with the North Pacific population. Precise estimates are unavailable today, but it is thought that present populations are about 40,000 in the northern hemisphere and 15,000-20,000 in the southern hemisphere, a small percentage of the original population levels.

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Taken on: September 5, 2003
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Camera: OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO,.LTD. C2100UZ, f/2.8, 1/320 sec, 9.7mm, ISO 100 (more info) (hide info)
Camera: OLYMPUS OPTICAL CO,.LTD. C2100UZ
Aperture: f/2.8
Exposure Time: 0.003 sec (1/320)
Focal Length: 9.7mm
ISO: 100
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Flash: No Flash
Exposure Program: Program AE
Metering Mode: Multi-segment
Color Space: sRGB
Software: CAMEDIA Master 4.0
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