Species: Balaenoptera physalus

Fin Whale
Species

    A large dark gray to brownish black baleen whale; narrow V-shaped rostrum has a prominent median ridge; dorsal fin is angled strongly rearward, located about one-third the body length forward from the fluke notch, and is followed by a distinct dorsal ridge that extends to the tail; throat has numerous longitudinal grooves; many individuals have a whitish chevron on each side of the back above the flippers; right lower lip and right front baleen are whitish, left lower lip is dark and remainder of baleen is streaked with yellowish white and bluish gray; flippers are fairly long and narrow; baleen is up to 72 cm long; two nostrils; grows to about 26.8 m, females reaching larger sizes than males (Leatherwood and Reeves 1983).

    Articles:

    Fin whales in the Salish Sea

    Fin whales are the second-largest species of animal on the planet. Their occasional presence in the Salish Sea is notable because they are rare and listed as Endangered federally and in Washington State. Sightings today are considered most likely to occur in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which is closest to their migration route on the outer coast.

    A fin whale spouting water as it surfaces.
    Marine mammals from distant places visit Puget Sound

    The reasons for the surprise visits are unknown, but changes in environmental conditions here or elsewhere are one possibility.

    Yukusam the sperm whale in Haro Strait off of Turn Point Lighthouse, Stuart Island, WA. March 2018. Photo: Copyright Jeff Friedman, Maya's Legacy Whale Watching (used with permission) http://sanjuanislandwhalewatch.com/first-ever-sperm-whale-san-juan-islands/
    Acoustic quality of critical habitats for three threatened whale populations

    A 2013 article in the journal Animal Conservation compares the effects of increasing anthropogenic noise to habitat loss for endangered fin, humpback and killer whales in the Salish Sea.

    Southern Resident Killer Whales in Puget Sound. Photo courtesy of NOAA
    Kingdom
    Animalia
    Phylum
    Craniata
    Class

    Mammalia

    Order

    Cetacea

    Family

    Balaenopteridae

    Genus

    Balaenoptera

    Classification
    Other Global Common Names
    Finback Whale - Rorcual ComĂșn - rorqual commun
    Informal Taxonomy
    <p>Animals, Vertebrates - Mammals - Whales and Dolphins</p>
    Formal Taxonomy
    Animalia - Craniata - Mammalia - Cetacea - Balaenopteridae - Balaenoptera

    A large dark gray to brownish black baleen whale; narrow V-shaped rostrum has a prominent median ridge; dorsal fin is angled strongly rearward, located about one-third the body length forward from the fluke notch, and is followed by a distinct dorsal ridge that extends to the tail; throat has numerous longitudinal grooves; many individuals have a whitish chevron on each side of the back above the flippers; right lower lip and right front baleen are whitish, left lower lip is dark and remainder of baleen is streaked with yellowish white and bluish gray; flippers are fairly long and narrow; baleen is up to 72 cm long; two nostrils; grows to about 26.8 m, females reaching larger sizes than males (Leatherwood and Reeves 1983).

    Short General Description
    A large baleen whale.
    Habitat Type Description
    Marine
    Migration
    <p>false - false - true - Migrates seasonally to colder high-latitude waters for feeding (summer), to warmer lower-latitude waters for winter breeding.</p>
    Non-migrant
    false
    Locally Migrant
    false
    Food Comments
    North Pacific: eats fishes, krill, calanoid copepods, squid. North Atlantic: primary foods are fishes (e.g., capelin, herring, sand launce), krill, and calanoid copepods. Southern ocean: main diet is krill. Gulf of California: eats euphausiids in winter and spring (Tershy 1992). Newly weaned young eat crustaceans; fine fringing on baleen of young facilitates capture of copepods.
    Reproduction Comments
    Mates in winter. Gestation lasts 11-12 months. Adult females bear 1 young every 2-3 years. Young are weaned at 6-8 months. Sexually mature at a minimum age of about 5-6 years in the western Atlantic. Life span may be 40-100 years.
    Ecology Comments
    Travels singly, in pairs, or in pods of 6-7. May concentrate in areas of abundant food.
    Length
    2500
    Weight
    8.7E7
    NatureServe Global Status Rank
    G3G4
    Global Status Last Reviewed
    1997-04-09
    Global Status Last Changed
    1997-04-09
    Conservation Status Map
    <img src="http://www.natureserve.org/explorer/servlet/GetMapGif?CA.BC=__&CA.LB=SNR&CA.NB=__&CA.NF=SNR&CA.NS=__&CA.PE=SNR&CA.QC=S3&US.AK=S3&US.CA=SNR&US.DE=__&US.FL=SNR&US.GA=SNR&US.HI=SNR&US.ME=SNR&US.MD=__&US.MA=S2&US.NJ=S1&US.NY=S1&US.NC=__&US.OR=__&US.RI=__&US.SC=SNR&US.TX=S1&US.VA=__&US.WA=__" alt="Conservation Status Map" style="width: 475px; height: auto;" />
    Global Range
    H - >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles) - H - Worldwide in temperate and polar waters, in several distinct breeding stocks. In the western North Atlantic, summers north to arctic Canada and Greenland, winters south to Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean region. In the eastern North Pacific, summers north to the Chukchi Sea, winters north to California (IUCN 1991).
    Global Range Code
    H
    Global Range Description
    >2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)
    ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.103352