Fin whale

Balaenoptera physalus · The fin whale is a huge baleen whale, the second-longest animal in the ocean after the blue whale, found in all the major oceans from polar to tropical waters.

Also called Finback whale, Common rorqual, Finback, Fin-backed Whale, Finner.

Fin whale
Photo: Aqqa Rosing-Asvid - Visit Greenland, CC BY 2.0
Fin whale
Photo: Cephas, CC BY-SA 3.0
Fin whale
Photo: Jose Antonio at Italian Wikipedia, CC BY 3.0

Taxonomy

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderArtiodactyla
FamilyBalaenopteridae
GenusBalaenoptera
SpeciesBalaenoptera physalus

Where it lives

All the major oceans, from polar to tropical waters, most of all temperate and cool seas.

Fun facts

  • Fin whales are nicknamed "the greyhound of the sea" because they can swim at speeds of up to 46–50 km/h.
  • A fin whale's liver and heart are the largest of any known animal.
  • In one gulp, a feeding fin whale can take in up to 70 cubic metres of water, then push it out through its baleen to trap the food.
  • A fin whale can eat up to 1,800 kg of food a day, yet it only needs about three hours of feeding, roughly the same as humans.

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Facts and taxonomy adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).