Large baleen whale, and the second-largest mammal species
Fin whale[1]
A fin whale surfacing in Greenland
Size compared to an average human
Conservation status
Vulnerable (IUCN 3.1)[2]
CITES Appendix I (CITES)[3]
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Artiodactyla
Infraorder:
Cetacea
Family:
Balaenopteridae
Genus:
Balaenoptera
Species:
B. physalus
Binomial name
Balaenoptera physalus
(Linnaeus, 1758)
Subspecies
B. p. physalus
B. p. quoyi
B. p. velifera
Fin whale range
Synonyms
List
Balaena physalusLinnaeus, 1758
Balaena boopsLinnaeus, 1758
Balaena antiquorum Fischer, 1829[4]
Balaena quoyi Fischer, 1829
Balaena musculus Companyo, 1830
Balaenoptera rorqual Lacépède, 1804
Balaenoptera gibbar Lacépède, 1804
Balaenoptera mediterraneensis Lesson, 1828[5]
Balaenoptera jubartes Dewhurst, 1834[6]
Balaenoptera australis Gray, 1846
Balaenoptera patachonicus Burmeister, 1865
Balaenoptera velifera Cope, 1869
Physalis vulgaris Fleming, 1828
Rorqualus musculus F. Cuvier, 1836
Pterobalaena communis Van Beneden, 1857[7]
The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), also known as the finback whale or common rorqual, is a species of baleen whale and the second-longest cetacean after the blue whale. The biggest individual reportedly measured 26 m (85 ft) in length, with a maximum recorded weight of 77,000–81,000 kg (170,000–179,000 lb). The fin whale's body is long, slender and brownish-gray in color, with a paler underside to appear less conspicuous from below (countershading).
At least two recognized subspecies exist, one in the North Atlantic and one across the Southern Hemisphere. It is found in all the major oceans, from polar to tropical waters, though it is absent only from waters close to the pack ice at the poles and relatively small areas of water away from the open ocean. The highest population density occurs in temperate and cool waters. Its prey mainly consists of smaller schooling fish, small squid, or crustaceans, including copepods and krill. Mating takes place in temperate, low-latitude seas during the winter. Fin whales are often observed in pods of 6–10 animals, with whom they communicate utilizing frequency-modulated sounds, ranging from 16 to 40 hertz.
Like all other large whales, the fin whale was heavily persecuted during the "golden age" of whaling, from the early 19th century through the late 20th century. Over 725,000 fin whales were reportedly taken from the Southern Hemisphere between 1905 and 1976. Post-recovery numbers of the southern subspecies are predicted to be less than 50% of the pre-whaling population, even by 2100, due to long-lasting impacts of whaling and slow recovery rates. As of 2018, it was assessed as vulnerable by the IUCN.
Recent genetic studies indicate that fin whales routinely mate with blue whales, and they produce viable hybrid offspring that are capable of reproducing. Studies suggest that this has been due to the slow recovery rate of both species in response to whaling in the early 20th century, creating a population bottleneck encouraging interspecies mating.[8][9][10]
^Mead, J. G.; Brownell, R. L. Jr. (2005). "Order Cetacea". In Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M. (eds.). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 725. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
^Cooke, J.G. (2018). "Balaenoptera physalus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018: e.T2478A50349982. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T2478A50349982.en. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
^"Appendices | CITES". cites.org. Archived from the original on 7 May 2022. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
^Fischer, Johann Baptist (1829). Synopsis Mammalium. p. 525. Archived from the original on 6 May 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
^Hist. Nat. Gén. et Partie, des Mamm. et Oiseaux découverts depuis 1788 Archived 23 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine
^Nat. Hist. Cetacea
^Académie Royale Des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique (Bruxelles) (1859). Bulletins de l'Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts ... – Académie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique (Bruxelles) – Google ubNX. Hayez. p. 403. ISBN 9781013223624. Archived from the original on 10 June 2016. Retrieved 28 November 2015.
^Cockerill, Jess (11 February 2024). "Surprise Discovery Shows Blue Whales Have Been Mating With Another Species". ScienceAlert. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
^Dier, Arden (9 February 2024). "Blue Whales Carry Surprising Levels of Another Species' DNA". Newser. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
^Incorvaia, Darren (24 January 2024). "Blue Whale Genes Reveal Less Inbreeding, More Interbreeding Than Expected". The New York Times. Retrieved 12 February 2024.
The finwhale (Balaenoptera physalus), also known as the finback whale or common rorqual, is a species of baleen whale and the second-longest cetacean...
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southern finwhale (Balaenoptera physalus quoyi) is a subspecies of finwhale that lives in the Southern Ocean. At least one other subspecies of finwhale, the...
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The northern finwhale (Balaenoptera physalus physalus) is a subspecies of finwhale that lives in the North Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean. It...
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the pygmy sperm whale, distinguished mainly by the position of the dorsal fin on the body–nearer the middle in the dwarf sperm whale and nearer the tail...
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common minke whale or northern minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is a species of minke whale within the suborder of baleen whales. It is the smallest...
Balaenoptera (from Latin balaena 'whale', and Ancient Greek πτερά (pterá) 'fin') is a genus of rorquals containing eight extant species. Balaenoptera comprises...
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the whale got tired sooner. Primarily right whales, humpback whales, gray, and finwhales were hunted. Blue whales, sei, Bryde's and sperm whales were...
1884. Owen compared the skull to those of the long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas), beluga whale (Delphinapterus leucas), and Risso's dolphin (Grampus...
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