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Mammals · Artiodactyla · Balaenopteridae
Fin Whale
Balaenoptera physalus
It faces a very high risk of extinction in the wild in the near future. See full glossary
It is the second largest animal ever to have lived on Earth, beaten only by the blue whale — with which it occasionally hybridises, producing fertile young.
Weight
35 t – 130 t
Size
14 m – 27 m
Lifespan
85 years
Diet
Omnivore
Combines animal and plant food depending on availability.
Activity
Irregular activity
Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.
Social structure
Solitary
Lives and hunts alone, joining others only to breed.
Sighting difficulty
Hard
Fun facts
- fisiologíaIts skull has particular acoustic properties that channel low-frequency sound straight to the ear bones, a hearing mechanism uncovered through three-dimensional computer modelling.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (marine mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Temperate and subpolar waters of every ocean in the world
- Birth weight
- 1,800 kg; 6-6.5 m long at birth
- Size at birth
- 6 - 6.5 m long at birth
- Sexual maturity
- 6-12 years (male) - 7-12 years (female)
- Gestation / incubation
- 11-12 months
- Litter / clutch size
- 1 young, with an interval between births of 2-3 years
Sources consulted: Cool Antarctica; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); WDFW; Animal Diversity Web; A-Z Animals; NOAA Fisheries; Texas Tech Mammals of Texas; Wikipedia (Fin whale, North Pacific fin whale)
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 14 de 32 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Fin Whale — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
EndangeredBlue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus
Shortfin Mako
Isurus oxyrinchus
EndangeredBasking Shark
Cetorhinus maximus
Sei Whale
Balaenoptera borealis
Minke Whale
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Least ConcernHumpback Whale
Megaptera novaeangliae
How to help
The fin whale is classified as endangered. Organizations such as UICN, WWF y Wildlife Conservation Society work specifically on its conservation and that of its habitat; looking into their programs is a good starting point if you want to get involved.
It's documented in 7 real protected areas — part of why protecting these places matters for its conservation.
Keep exploring
Based on what we already know about fin whale.
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