Fin Whale
A Fin Whale surfaces in the Kenai Fjords, Alaska Size comparison against an average human
Conservation status
Endangered (IUCN) [1]
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Chordata Class: Mammalia Subclass: Eutheria Order: Cetacea Suborder: Mysticeti Family: Balaenoptiidae Genus: Balaenoptera Species: B. physalus
Binomial name
Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Fin Whale range

The Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus), also called the Finback Whale or Razorback or Common Rorqual, is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. It is the second largest whale and the second largest living animal after the Blue Whale,^[2] growing to nearly 27 metres (88 ft) long.^[2] Two ships of the United States Navy have borne the name USS Finback, named in honor of the finback, a common whale of the Atlantic coast of the United States. ... Established in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, Kenai Fjords National Park is a United States National Park on the Kenai Peninsula in southcentral Alaska near the town of Seward. ... The conservation status of a species is an indicator of the likelihood of that species continuing to survive either in the present day or the future. ... Image File history File links Status_iucn2. ... The Siberian Tiger is a subspecies of tiger that are critically endangered. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species and can be found here. ... For other uses, see Scientific classification (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Animal (disambiguation). ... Typical Classes Subphylum Urochordata - Tunicates Ascidiacea Thaliacea Larvacea Subphylum Cephalochordata - Lancelets Subphylum Myxini - Hagfishes Subphylum Vertebrata - Vertebrates Petromyzontida - Lampreys Placodermi (extinct) Chondrichthyes - Cartilaginous fishes Acanthodii (extinct) Actinopterygii - Ray-finned fishes Actinistia - Coelacanths Dipnoi - Lungfishes Amphibia - Amphibians Reptilia - Reptiles Aves - Birds Mammalia - Mammals Chordates (phylum Chordata) include the vertebrates, together with... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including milk producing sweat glands, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... Orders[1] Bobolestes Eomaia Maelestes Montanalestes Murtoilestes Prokennalestes Placentalia Superorder Xenarthra: Cingulata (Armadillos) Pilosa (Sloths, True Anteaters) Superorder Afrotheria: Afrosoricida (Tenrecs, etc. ... Suborders Mysticeti Odontoceti Archaeoceti (extinct) (see text for families) The order Cetacea (IPA: , L. cetus, whale) includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. ... Families Balaenidae Balaenopteridae Eschrichtiidae Neobalaenidae Scientifically known as the Mysticeti, the baleen whales, also called whalebone whales or great whales, form a suborder of the order cetacea. ... Genera Balaenoptera Megaptera Rorquals are the largest group of baleen whales, with nine species in two genera. ... Genera Balaenoptera Megaptera Rorquals are the largest group of baleen whales, with nine species in two genera. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 13, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Download high resolution version (1357x628, 34 KB) , Pcb21 after vardion File links The following pages link to this file: Fin Whale Categories: GFDL images ... Subclasses & Infraclasses Subclass †Allotheria* Subclass Prototheria Subclass Theria Infraclass †Trituberculata Infraclass Metatheria Infraclass Eutheria Mammals (class Mammalia) are warm-blooded, vertebrate animals characterized by the presence of sweat glands, including milk producing sweat glands, and by the presence of: hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex... Diversity Around 15 species; see list of cetaceans or below. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Blue Whale range Subspecies B. m. ... This article is about the unit of length. ... A foot (plural: feet or foot;[1] symbol or abbreviation: ft or, sometimes, ′ – a prime) is a unit of length, in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ...

Long and slender, the Fin Whale's body is brownish-grey with a paler underside. There are at least two distinct subspecies: the Northern Fin Whale of the North Atlantic, and the larger Antarctic Fin Whale of the Southern Ocean. It is found in all the world's major oceans, from polar to tropical waters. It is absent only from waters close to the ice pack at both the north and south poles and relatively small areas of water away from the open ocean. The highest population density occurs in temperate and cool waters.^[3] Its food consists of small schooling fish, squid and crustaceans including mysids and krill. Location of the polar regions Northern Hemisphere permafrost (permanently frozen ground) in purple. ... The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ... NOAA Projected arctic changes Polar ice packs are large areas of pack ice formed from seawater in the Earths polar regions, known as polar ice caps: the Arctic ice pack (or Arctic ice cap) of the Arctic Ocean and the Antarctic ice pack of the Southern Ocean, fringing the... For other uses, see North Pole (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see South Pole (disambiguation). ... For the usage in virology, see temperate (virology). ... For other uses, see Squid (disambiguation). ... For the Dutch band, see Crustacean (band). ... Families not necessarily a complete list: Mysidae Eucopiidae Lophogastridae Petalophthalmidae Gnathophausiidae The Mysidacea is an order of small, shrimp-like creatures including the species Neomysis americana (opossum shrimp). ... Families Euphausiidae Euphausia Dana, 1852 Meganyctiphanes Holt and W. M. Tattersall, 1905 Nematobrachion Calman, 1905 Nematoscelis G. O. Sars, 1883 Nyctiphanes G. O. Sars, 1883 Pseudeuphausia Hansen, 1910 Stylocheiron G. O. Sars, 1883 Tessarabrachion Hansen, 1911 Thysanoessa Brandt, 1851 Thysanopoda Latreille, 1831 Bentheuphausiidae Bentheuphausia amblyops Krill are shrimp-like marine...

Like all other large whales, the Fin Whale was heavily hunted during the twentieth century and is an endangered species. The International Whaling Commission (IWC) has issued a moratorium on commercial hunting of this whale,^[4] although Iceland and Japan have announced intentions to resume hunting, the latter country stating it will kill a quota of 50 whales for the 2008 season. Collisions with ships and noise from human activity are also significant threats to the recovery of the species. The Siberian Tiger is a subspecies of tiger that are critically endangered. ... International Whaling Commission Logo The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was set up by the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW)[1] on December 2, 1946 to promote and maintain whale fishery stocks. ...

Taxonomy

See also: Evolution of cetaceans

A cladogram of animals related to the Fin Whale

The Fin Whale has long been known to taxonomists, first described by Frederick Martens in 1675 and then again by Paul Dudley in 1725. These descriptions were used as the basis of Carolus Linnaeus' Balaena physalus (1758).^{[5][dead link]} The Comte de Lacepede reclassified it as Balaenoptera physalus early in the nineteenth century. The specific name comes from the Greek physa, meaning blows. The cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) are descendants of land-living mammals, and remnants of their terrestrial origins can be found in the fact that they must breathe air from the surface; in the bones of their fins, which look like huge, jointed hands; and in the vertical movement of... Image File history File links Rorqual_phylogenetic_tree. ... Image File history File links Rorqual_phylogenetic_tree. ... Greek clados = branch) or phylogenetic systematics is a branch of biology that determines the evolutionary relationships of living things based on derived similarities. ... Taxonomy (from Greek ταξινομία from the words taxis = order and nomos = law) may refer to either a hierarchical classification of things, or the principles underlying the classification. ... Paul Dudley (1675 - 1751), attorney-general of Massachusetts, was the son of Joseph Dudley After graduating at Harvard in 1690, he studied law at the Temple in London, and became attorney-general of Massachusetts (1702 to 1718). ... Carl Linnaeus, Latinized as Carolus Linnaeus, also known after his ennoblement as  , (May 13, 1707[1] – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist, physician and zoologist[2] who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of nomenclature. ... Bernard Germain tienne de la Ville, Comte de Lac de (December 26, 1756 - October 6, 1825) was a French naturalist. ...

Fin Whales are rorquals (family Balaenopteridae), a family that includes the Humpback Whale, the Blue Whale, the Bryde's Whale, the Sei Whale and the Minke Whale. The family Balaenopteridae diverged from the other families of the suborder Mysticeti as long ago as the middle Miocene.^[6] However, it is not known when the members of these families diverged from each other. Hybridization between the Blue Whale and the Fin Whale is known to occur at least occasionally in the North Atlantic^[7] and in the North Pacific.^[8] Genera Balaenoptera Megaptera Rorquals are the largest group of baleen whales, with nine species in two genera. ... Genera Balaenoptera Megaptera Rorquals are the largest group of baleen whales, with nine species in two genera. ... Binomial name Borowski, 1781 Humpback Whale range The Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a baleen whale. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Blue Whale range Subspecies B. m. ... Binomial name Balaenoptera brydei Olsen, 1913 Balaenoptera edeni Anderson, 1879 Brydes Whale range Bryde’s Whales are the least-known and in many ways the most unusual of the rorquals. ... Binomial name Balaenoptttera borealis Lesson, 1828 Sei Whale range The Sei Whaile or Say Whale, (Balaenoptera borealis) is a big large baleen whale, and as such is one of the stupiest animals in the world. ... Binomial name Lacepede, 1804 Balaenoptera bonaerensis Burmeister, 1867 Minke Whale range Antarctic Minke Whale range Dwarf Minke Whale range The Minke Whale or Lesser Rorqual is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. ... Genera Balaenoptera Megaptera Rorquals are the largest group of baleen whales, with nine species in two genera. ... Families Balaenidae Balaenopteridae Eschrichtiidae Neobalaenidae Scientifically known as the Mysticeti, the baleen whales, also called whalebone whales or great whales, form a suborder of the order cetacea. ... The Miocene Epoch is a period of time that extends from about 23. ... This article is about a biological term. ... The Atlantic Ocean, not including Arctic and Antarctic regions. ... Pacific redirects here. ...

As of 2006, there are two named subspecies, each with distinct physical features and vocalizations. B. p. physalus (Linnaeus 1758), or Northern Fin Whale, is found in the North Atlantic, and B. p. quoyi (Fischer 1829), or Antarctic Fin Whale, is found in the Southern Ocean.^[9] Most experts consider the Fin Whales of the North Pacific to be a third unnamed subspecies.^[3] On a global scale, the three groups rarely mix, if at all.
This article is about the zoological term. ...

Description and behaviour

Fin Whale dorsal fin

The Fin Whale is usually distinguished by its great length and slender build. The average size of males and females is 19 and 20 metres (62 and 66 ft), respectively. Subspecies in the northern hemisphere are known to reach lengths of up to 24 metres (79 ft), and the Antarctic subspecies reaches lengths of up to 26.8 metres (88 ft).^[2] A full-sized adult has never been weighed, but calculations suggest that a 25 metre (82 ft) animal could weigh as much as 70,000 kilograms (154,000 lb). Full physical maturity is not attained until between 25 and 30 years, although Fin Whales have been known to live to 94 years of age.^[10] A newborn Fin Whale measures about 6.5 metres (21 ft) in length and weighs approximately 1,800 kilograms (4,000 lb).^[11] The animal's large size aids in identification, and it is usually only confused with the Blue Whale, the Sei Whale, or, in warmer waters, Bryde's Whale. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Northern hemisphere highlighted in yellow. ... Kg redirects here. ... Look up pound in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Maturity may refer to: Sexual maturity Maturity, a geological term describing hydrocarbon generation Maturity, a financial term indicating the end of payments of principal or interest Look up Maturity in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) Blue Whale range Subspecies B. m. ... Binomial name Balaenoptttera borealis Lesson, 1828 Sei Whale range The Sei Whaile or Say Whale, (Balaenoptera borealis) is a big large baleen whale, and as such is one of the stupiest animals in the world. ... Binomial name Balaenoptera brydei Olsen, 1913 Balaenoptera edeni Anderson, 1879 Brydes Whale range Bryde’s Whales are the least-known and in many ways the most unusual of the rorquals. ...

A view of the Fin Whale's distinctive paired blowholes

The Fin Whale has a brownish grey top and sides and a whitish underside. It has a pointed snout, paired blowholes, and a broad, flat rostrum. Two lighter-coloured chevrons begin midline behind the blowholes and slant down the sides toward the tail on a diagonal upward to the dorsal fin, sometimes re-curving forward on the back.^[2] It has a large white patch on the right side of the lower jaw, while the left side of the jaw is grey or black.^[11] This type of asymmetry can be seen occasionally in Minke Whales, but the Fin Whale's asymmetry is universal and thus is unique among cetaceans and is one of the keys to making a full identification. It was hypothesized to have evolved because the whale swims on its right side when surface lunging and it often circles to the right while at the surface above a prey patch. However, the whales just as often circle to the left. There is no accepted hypothesis to explain the asymmetry.^[12] Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... In biology, a blowhole is the hole at the top of a whales head through which the animal breathes air. ... Rostrum can mean one of several different things: A rostrum (Latin beak) is an anatomical structure resembling a birds beak, such as the snout of crocodiles or dolphins or the part of the carapace of a crustacean. ... A chevron (also spelled cheveron, especially in older documents) is a V-shaped pattern. ... Dorsal fin of an orca A dorsal fin is a fin located on the backs of fishes, whales, dolphins, and porpoises, as well as the (extinct) ichthyosaurs. ... Symmetry is a characteristic of geometrical shapes, equations and other objects; we say that such an object is symmetric with respect to a given operation if this operation, when applied to the object, does not appear to change it. ... Binomial name Lacepede, 1804 Balaenoptera bonaerensis Burmeister, 1867 Minke Whale range Antarctic Minke Whale range Dwarf Minke Whale range The Minke Whale or Lesser Rorqual is a marine mammal belonging to the suborder of baleen whales. ... Suborders Mysticeti Odontoceti (see text) The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. ... Look up Hypothesis in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

The whale has a series of 56–100 pleats or grooves along the bottom of the body that run from the tip of the chin to the navel that allow the throat area to expand greatly during feeding. It has a curved, prominent (60 cm, 24 in) dorsal fin about three-quarters of the way along the back. Its flippers are small and tapered, and its tail is wide, pointed at the tip, and notched in the centre.^[2] Skirt with narrow knife pleats at the hip line, 1929. ... This article is about the part of the face. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... A centimetre (American spelling centimeter, symbol cm) is a unit of length that is equal to one hundredth of a metre, the current SI base unit of length. ... An inch (plural: inches; symbol or abbreviation: in or, sometimes, ″ - a double prime) is the name of a unit of length in a number of different systems, including English units, Imperial units, and United States customary units. ... A flipper is a digitless, typically flat limb evolved for movement through water. ...

When the whale surfaces, the dorsal fin is visible soon after the spout. The spout is vertical and narrow and can reach heights of 6 metres.^[11] The whale will blow one to several times on each visit to the surface, staying close to the surface for about one and a half minutes each time. The tail remains submerged during the surfacing sequence. It then dives to depths of up to 250 metres (820 ft), each dive lasting between 10 and 15 minutes. Fin Whales have been known to leap completely out of the water.^[11] A minute is a unit of time equal to 1/60th of an hour and to 60 seconds. ...

Life history

Mating occurs in temperate, low-latitude seas during the winter, and the gestation period is eleven months to one year. A newborn weans from its mother at 6 or 7 months of age when it is 11 or 12 metres (36 to 39 ft) in length, and the calf follows the mother to the winter feeding ground. Females reproduce every 2 to 3 years, with as many as 6 foetuses being reported, but single births are far more common. Females reach sexual maturity at between 3 and 12 years of age.^[11] IT FEELS REALLY GOOD IF YOU IMATATE THE ANIMALS. LOL! “Mounting” redirects here. ... The Gestation period in a viviparous animal refers to the length of its pregnancy. ... A breastfeeding infant Breastfeeding is the practice of a woman feeding an infant (or sometimes a toddler or a young child) with milk produced from her mammary glands, usually directly from the nipples. ... For the anatomical feature, see calf muscle. ... Foetus can refer to: a fetus, an embryo in later stages of development Foetus, a band fronted by industrial music pioneer J.G. Thirlwell. ...

Feeding

Overhead view of a Fin Whale feeding

The Fin Whale is a filter-feeder, feeding on small schooling fish, squid and crustaceans including mysids and krill.^[11] It feeds by opening its jaws while swimming at a relatively high speed, 11 kilometres per hour (7 mph) in one study,^[13] which causes it to engulf up to 70 cubic metres (18,000 US gal/15,000 imp gal) of water in one gulp. It then closes its jaws and pushes the water back out of its mouth through its baleen, which allows the water to leave while trapping the prey. An adult has between 262 and 473 baleen plates on each side of the mouth. Each plate is made of keratin that frays out into fine hairs on the ends inside the mouth near the tongue. Each plate can measure up to 76 centimetres (30 inches) in length and 30 centimetres (12 inches) in width.^[2] The whale routinely dives to depths of more than 200 metres (650 ft), where it executes an average of four "lunges", where it feeds on aggregations of krill. Each gulp provides the whale with approximately 10 kilograms (20 lb) of krill.^[13] One whale can consume up to 1,800 kilograms (4,000 lb) of food a day,^[2] leading scientists to conclude that the whale spends about three hours of each day feeding to meet its energy requirements, roughly the same as humans. If the prey patches are not sufficiently dense, or are located too deep in the water, the whale has to spend a larger portion of its day searching for food.^[13] Fin Whales have also been observed circling schools of fish at high speed, compacting the school into a tight ball, then turning on its side before engulfing the fish.^[2]
Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... For other uses, see Squid (disambiguation). ... For the Dutch band, see Crustacean (band). ... Families not necessarily a complete list: Mysidae Eucopiidae Lophogastridae Petalophthalmidae Gnathophausiidae The Mysidacea is an order of small, shrimp-like creatures including the species Neomysis americana (opossum shrimp). ... Families Euphausiidae Euphausia Dana, 1852 Meganyctiphanes Holt and W. M. Tattersall, 1905 Nematobrachion Calman, 1905 Nematoscelis G. O. Sars, 1883 Nyctiphanes G. O. Sars, 1883 Pseudeuphausia Hansen, 1910 Stylocheiron G. O. Sars, 1883 Tessarabrachion Hansen, 1911 Thysanoessa Brandt, 1851 Thysanopoda Latreille, 1831 Bentheuphausiidae Bentheuphausia amblyops Krill are shrimp-like marine... The cubic meter (symbol m³) is the SI derived unit of volume. ... U.S. customary units, also known in the United States as English units[1] (but see English unit) or standard units, are units of measurement that are currently used in the USA, in some cases alongside units from SI (the International System of Units — the modern metric system). ... The gallon (abbreviation: gal) is a unit of volume. ... This article is about post-1824 imperial units, see also English unit, U.S. customary units or Avoirdupois. ... The gallon (abbreviation: gal) is a unit of volume. ... Baleen hair is attached to the baleen plate Baleen (also called whalebone) is a substance made of keratin and is therefore stiff but somewhat elastic. ... Not to be confused with kerogen or carotene. ...

Behaviour

The Fin Whale is one of the fastest cetaceans and can sustain speeds of 37 kilometres per hour (23 mph, 20 knots),^[11] and bursts in excess of 40 kilometres per hour (25 mph, 22 knots) have been recorded, earning the Fin Whale the nickname "the greyhound of the deep".^[14] Fin Whales are more gregarious than other rorquals, and often live in groups of 6–10 individuals, although on the feeding grounds aggregations of up to 100 animals may be observed.^[10]
Suborders Mysticeti Odontoceti Archaeoceti (extinct) (see text for families) The order Cetacea (IPA: , L. cetus, whale) includes whales, dolphins and porpoises. ... Miles per hour is a unit of speed, expressing the number of international miles covered per hour. ... A knot is a unit of speed abbreviated kt or kn. ... This article is about the breed of dog. ...

Vocalizations

See also: Whale song and List of whale songs

Like other whales, the male Fin Whale has been observed to make long, loud, low-frequency sounds.^[11] The vocalizations of Blue and Fin Whales are the lowest known sounds made by any animal.^[15] Most sounds are frequency-modulated (FM) down-swept infrasonic pulses from 16 to 40 hertz frequency (the range of sounds that most humans can hear falls between 20 hertz and 20 kilohertz). Each sound lasts between one to two seconds, and various combinations of sounds occur in patterned sequences lasting 7 to 15 minutes each. These sequences are then repeated in bouts lasting up to many days.^[16] The vocal sequences have source levels of up to 184–186 decibels relative to 1 micropascal at a reference distance of one metre, and can be detected hundreds of miles from their source.^[17] For the Pearl Jam song, see Whale Song (song). ... Whale song is the sound made by whales to communicate. ... Image File history File links FinWhaleAtlantic-10x. ... For other uses, see Frequency (disambiguation). ... Frequency modulation (FM) is a form of modulation which represents information as variations in the instantaneous frequency of a carrier wave. ... This article is about the SI unit of frequency. ... This article is about the unit of time. ... This article is about underwater sound propagation. ... For other uses, see Decibel (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Pascal. ... This article is about the unit of length. ...

When Fin Whale sounds were first recorded by US biologists, researchers did not realize that these unusually loud, long, pure, and regular sounds were being made by whales. They first investigated the possibilities that the sounds were due to equipment malfunction, geophysical phenomena, or even part of a Soviet Union scheme for detecting enemy submarines. Eventually, biologists demonstrated that the sounds were the vocalizations of Fin Whales.^[15] Geophysics, the study of the earth by quantitative physical methods, especially by seismic reflection and refraction, gravity, magnetic, electrical, electromagnetic, and radioactivity methods. ...

Direct association of these vocalizations with the reproductive season for the species and that only males make the sounds point to these vocalizations as possible reproductive displays.^[18][19] Over the past 100 years, the dramatic increase in ocean noise from shipping and naval activity may have slowed the recovery of the Fin Whale population, by impeding communications between males and sexually receptive females.^[20]

Habitat and migration

Fin Whales may reach lengths of up to 26.8 metres (88 ft).

Like many of the large rorquals, the Fin Whale is a cosmopolitan species. It is found in all the world's major oceans, and in waters ranging from the polar to the tropical. It is absent only from waters close to the ice pack at both the north and south extremities and relatively small areas of water away from the large oceans, such as the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, the eastern part of the Mediterranean and the Baltic Sea. The highest population density occurs in temperate and cool waters. It is less densely populated in the hottest, equatorial regions. It prefers deep waters beyond the continental shelf to shallow waters. Image File history File links Fin_whale_from_air. ... Image File history File links Fin_whale_from_air. ... A cosmopolitan distribution is a term applied to a biological category of living things meaning that this category can be found anywhere around the world. ... Polar may refer to: Polsk Ost med KATING WAPOOOOW CHING CHING WOWOWOWOW/Gling, Oink oink. ... An ice pack An ice pack (also called a ice/hot reusable gel pack) is a plastic sac of refrigerant gel or liquid. ... Location of the Red Sea The Red Sea is an inlet of the Indian Ocean between Africa and Asia. ... Map of the Persian Gulf. ... The Mediterranean Sea is an intercontinental sea positioned between Europe to the north, Africa to the south and Asia to the east, covering an approximate area of 2. ... For other uses, see Baltic (disambiguation). ... World map showing the equator in red In tourist areas, the equator is often marked on the sides of roads The equator marked as it crosses Ilhéu das Rolas, in São Tomé and Príncipe. ...  Sediment  Rock  Mantle  The global continental shelf, highlighted in cyan The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain, which is covered during interglacial periods such as the current epoch by relatively shallow seas (known as shelf seas) and gulfs. ...

The North Atlantic Fin Whale has an extensive distribution, occurring from the Gulf of Mexico and Mediterranean Sea, northward to the edges of the Arctic ice pack. In general, Fin Whales are more common north of approximately 30°N latitude, but considerable confusion arises about their occurrence south of 30°N latitude because of the difficulty in distinguishing Fin Whales from Bryde's Whales.^[21] Extensive ship surveys have led researchers to conclude that the summer feeding range of Fin Whales in the western North Atlantic was mainly between 41°20'N and 51°00'N, from shore seaward to the 1,000 fathom (1,800 m) contour.^[22] Gulf of Mexico in 3D perspective. ... Mediterranean redirects here. ... This article is about the geographical term. ... A fathom is the name of a unit of length in the Imperial system (and the derived U.S. customary units). ...

Summer distribution of Fin Whales in the North Pacific is the immediate offshore waters from central Baja California to Japan, and as far north as the Chukchi Sea bordering the Arctic Ocean.^[23] They occur in high densities in the northern Gulf of Alaska and southeastern Bering Sea between May and October, with some movement through the Aleutian passes into and out of the Bering Sea.^[24] Several whales tagged between November and January off southern California were killed in the summer off central California, Oregon, British Columbia, and in the Gulf of Alaska.^[23] Fin Whales have been observed feeding in Hawaiian waters in mid-May, and several winter sightings have been made there.^[25] Some researchers have suggested that the whales migrate into Hawaiian waters primarily in the autumn and winter.^[26] Location within Mexico Municipalities of Baja California Country Capital Municipalities 5 Largest City Tijuana Government  - Governor José Guadalupe Osuna Millán (PAN)  - Federal Deputies PAN: 8  - Federal Senators Alejandro González (PAN) Rafael Díaz (PAN) Fernando Castro (PRI) Area Ranked 12th  - Total 69,921 km² (26,996. ... Chukchi Sea (Russian: Чуко́тское мо́ре) is a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean, between Chukotka and Alaska. ... The Gulf of Alaska is an arm of the Pacific Ocean defined by the curve of the southern coast of Alaska, stretching from the Alaska Peninsula and Kodiak Island in the west to the Alexander Archipelago in the east, where Glacier Bay and the Inside Passage are found. ... Satellite photo of the Bering Sea Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean Bearing Sea with Kamchatka Peninsula and Alaska The Bering (or Imarpik) Sea is a body of water north of, and separated from, the north Pacific Ocean by the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands. ... Aleutian refers to: Aleutian Islands Aleut people Aleut language This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... Motto: Splendor sine occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 36 Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 5th Total 944... This article is about the U.S. State. ...

Although Fin Whales are certainly migratory, moving seasonally in and out of high-latitude feeding areas, the overall migration pattern is not well understood. Acoustic readings from passive-listening hydrophone arrays indicate a southward migration of the North Atlantic Fin Whale occurs in the autumn from the Labrador-Newfoundland region, south past Bermuda, and into the West Indies.^[27] One or more populations of Fin Whales are thought to remain year-round in high latitudes, moving offshore, but not southward in late autumn.^[27] In the Pacific, migration patterns are difficult to understand. Although some Fin Whales are apparently present in the Gulf of California year-round, there is a significant increase in their numbers in the winter and spring.^[28] Antarctic Fin Whales migrate seasonally from relatively high-latitude Antarctic feeding grounds in the summer to low-latitude breeding and calving areas in the winter. The location of winter breeding areas is still unknown, since these whales tend to migrate in the open ocean and thus exact locations have been difficult to determine.^[3] This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Acoustics is the branch of physics concerned with the study of sound (mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids). ... Labrador (also Coast of Labrador) is a region of Atlantic Canada. ... This article is about the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... The Caribbean or the West Indies is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea. ... The Gulf of California (also known as the Sea of Cortez or Sea of Cortés; locally known in the Spanish language as Mar de Cortés or, much less frequently, Golfo de California) is a body of water that separates the Baja California Peninsula from the Mexican mainland. ... Birth is the process in animals by which an offspring is expelled from the body of its mother. ...

Abundance and trends

A Fin Whale approaching

The lack of understanding of the migration pattern of the Fin Whale combined with population surveys that are often contradictory makes estimating the historical and current population levels of the whale difficult and contentious. Due to a long history of hunting this whale, pre-exploitation population levels are difficult to accurately determine even though estimates are important to measure the rate of recovery of the species. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Whale-Fishing. ...

North Atlantic

Drawing of a Fin Whale on a Faroese stamp, issued 17 September 2001

In the North Atlantic, Fin Whales are defined by the International Whaling Commission to exist in one of seven discrete population zones: Nova Scotia, Newfoundland-Labrador, West Greenland, East Greenland-Iceland, North Norway, West Norway-Faroe Islands, and British Isles-Spain-Portugal. Results of mark-and-recapture surveys have indicated that some movement occurs across the boundaries of these population zones, suggesting that each zone is not entirely discrete and that some immigration and emigration does occur.^[22] J. Sigurjónsson estimated in 1995 that a total pre-exploitation population size of the Fin Whale in the entire North Atlantic ranged between 50,000 and 100,000 animals,^[29] but his research is criticized for not providing supporting data and an explanation of his reasoning.^[3] In 1977, D.E. Sergeant suggested a "primeval" aggregate total of 30,000 to 50,000 Fin Whales throughout the North Atlantic.^[30] Of that number, about 8,000 to 9,000 would have resided in the Newfoundland and Nova Scotia areas, with whales summering in U.S. waters south of Nova Scotia presumably not having been taken fully into account.^[31][3] J.M. Breiwick estimated that the "exploitable" (above the legal size limit of ft50 component of the Nova Scotia population was 1,500 to 1,600 animals in 1964, reduced to only about 325 in 1973.^[32] Two aerial surveys have been conducted in Canadian waters since the early 1970s, giving numbers of 79 to 926 whales on the eastern Newfoundland-Labrador shelf in August 1980,^[33] and a few hundred in the northern and central Gulf of St. Lawrence in August 1995–1996.^[34] Estimates of the number of Fin Whales in the waters off West Greenland in the summer range between 500 and 2,000,^[35] and in 1974, Jonsgard considered the Fin Whales off Western Norway and the Faroe Islands to "have been considerably depleted in postwar years, probably by overexploitation".^[36] The population around Iceland appears to have fared much better, and in 1981, the population appeared to have undergone only a minor decline since the early 1960s.^[37] Surveys during the summers of 1987 and 1989 produced estimates in the order of 10,000 to 11,000 Fin Whales between East Greenland and Norway.^[38] This shows a substantial recovery when compared to a survey in 1976 showing an estimate of 6,900 whales, which was considered to be a "slight" decline since 1948 levels.^[39] Estimates of population levels in the British Isles-Spain-Portugal area in summer have ranged from 7,500^[40] to more than 17,000.^[41] In total, the aggregate population level of the North Atlantic Fin Whale is estimated to be between 40,000^[42] and 56,000^[7] individuals. Image File history File links Faroe_stamp_401_fin_whale_(Balaenoptera_physalus). ... Image File history File links Faroe_stamp_401_fin_whale_(Balaenoptera_physalus). ... is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... International Whaling Commission Logo The International Whaling Commission (IWC) was set up by the International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling (ICRW)[1] on December 2, 1946 to promote and maintain whale fishery stocks. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 11 Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867... This article is about the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... Labrador (also Coast of Labrador) is a region of Atlantic Canada. ... Map of west Greenland Kitaa/Vestgrønland (West Greenland) is the most populous of the three counties (amt) of Greenland, being home to almost 90% of the total population. ... Map of East Greenland Tunu/Østgrønland (East Greenland) is one of the three counties (amt) of Greenland. ... This article describes the archipelago in north-western Europe. ... For other uses, see Atlantic (disambiguation) The Atlantic Ocean is Earths second-largest ocean, covering approximately one-fifth of its surface. ... This article is about the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... Motto: Munit Haec et Altera Vincit (Latin: One defends and the other conquers) Capital Halifax Largest city Halifax Regional Municipality Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Mayann E. Francis Premier Rodney MacDonald (PC) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 11 Senate seats 10 Confederation July 1, 1867... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... Aerial survey is a method of collecting information by utilising aerial photography or from remote sensing technology using other bands of the electromagnetic spectrum, such as infrared, gamma, or ultraviolet. ... This article is about the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. ... Labrador (also Coast of Labrador) is a region of Atlantic Canada. ... The Gulf of Saint Lawrence, the worlds largest estuary, is the outlet of North Americas Great Lakes via the Saint Lawrence River into the Atlantic Ocean. ... Map of west Greenland Kitaa/Vestgrønland (West Greenland) is the most populous of the three counties (amt) of Greenland, being home to almost 90% of the total population. ... Vestlandet is the geographical region of the Atlantic coast of southern Norway. ... Map of East Greenland Tunu/Østgrønland (East Greenland) is one of the three counties (amt) of Greenland. ... This article describes the archipelago in north-western Europe. ...

North Pacific

Fin Whale skeleton

The total historical North Pacific Fin Whale population has been estimated at 42,000 to 45,000 before the start of whaling. Of this, the population in the eastern portion of the North Pacific was estimated to be 25,000 to 27,000.^[43] By 1975, the population estimate had declined to between 8,000 and 16,000.^[44][45] Surveys conducted in 1991, 1993, 1996, and 2001 produced estimates of between 1,600 and 3,200 Fin Whales off California and 280 to 380 Fin Whales off Oregon and Washington.^[46] The miniumum estimate for the California-Oregon-Washington population, as defined in the U.S. Pacific Marine Mammal Stock Assessments: 2005, is about 2,500.^[47] Surveys near the Pribilof Islands in the Bering Sea indicated a substantial increase in the local abundance of Fin Whales between 1975–1978 and 1987–1989.^[48] In 1984, the entire North Pacific Fin Whale population was estimated to be at less than 38% of its historic carrying capacity.^[49] Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 323 KB) This image was copied from wikipedia:de. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 323 KB) This image was copied from wikipedia:de. ... For other uses, see Skeleton (disambiguation). ... For other meanings of pacific, see pacific (disambiguation). ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... For the capital city of the United States, see Washington, D.C.. For other uses, see Washington (disambiguation). ... The Pribilof Islands (often called the Fur Seal Islands, Russian: Kotovi) are a group of four volcanic islands, part of Alaska, lying in the Bering Sea, about 200 miles north of Unalaska and 200 miles south of Cape Newenham, the nearest point on the North American mainland. ... Satellite photo of the Bering Sea Bering Sea and the North Pacific Ocean Bearing Sea with Kamchatka Peninsula and Alaska The Bering (or Imarpik) Sea is a body of water north of, and separated from, the north Pacific Ocean by the Alaska Peninsula and Aleutian Islands. ...

Antarctica

Relatively little is known about the historical and current population levels of the Antarctic Fin Whale. The IWC officially estimates that the pre-whaling population of the Fin Whale in the southern hemisphere was 400,000 whales, and that the population in 1979 (at the cessation of Antarctic large scale whaling) was 85,200.^[50] Both the current and historical estimates should be considered as poor estimates because the methodology and data used in the study are known to be flawed.^[3] Other estimates cite current population levels of no more than 5,000 whales and possibly as low as 2,000 to 3,000.^[11] As of 2006, there is no scientifically accepted estimate of current population or trends in abundance.^[3]

Human interaction

See also: Whaling and History of whaling

A Fin Whale caught at Grays Harbor circa 1912

In the 19th century, the Fin Whale was occasionally hunted by the open-boat whalers, but it was relatively safe because of its quick speed and the fact that it often sank when killed. However, the introduction of steam-powered boats in the second half of that century and harpoons that exploded on impact made it possible to kill and secure Blue Whales, Fin Whales, and Sei Whales on an industrial scale. As other whale species became over-hunted, the whaling industry turned to the still-abundant Fin Whale as a substitute.^[51] It was primarily hunted for its blubber, oil, and baleen. Approximately 704,000 Fin Whales were caught in Antarctic whaling operations alone between 1904 and 1975.^[52] After the introduction of factory ships with stern slipways in 1925, the number of whales taken per year increased substantially. In 1937 alone, over 28,000 Fin Whales were taken. From 1953 to 1961, whaling of the species averaged around 25,000 per year. By 1962, Sei Whale catches began to increase as Fin Whales became scarce. By 1974, fewer than 1,000 Fin Whales were being caught each year. The IWC prohibited the taking of Fin Whales from the southern hemisphere in 1976.^[52] In the North Pacific, a reported total of approximately 46,000 Fin Whales were killed by commercial whalers between 1947 and 1987.^[53] Acknowledgement that the Soviet Union engaged in the illegal killing of protected whale species in the North Pacific means that the reported catch data is incomplete.^[54] The Fin Whale was given full protection from commercial whaling by the IWC in the North Pacific in 1976, and in the North Atlantic in 1987, with the exception of small aboriginal catches and catches for research purposes.^[11] All populations worldwide remain listed as endangered species by the US Fish & Wildlife Service and the International Conservation Union Red List, and the Fin Whale is on Appendix 1 of CITES.^{[1][11][55][56]} The crew of the oceanographic research vessel Princesse Alice, of Albert Grimaldi (later Prince Albert I of Monaco) pose while flensing a catch. ... Whale-Fishing. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Grays Harbor County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. ... The crew of the oceanographic research vessel Princesse Alice, of Albert Grimaldi (later Prince Albert I of Monaco) pose while flensing a catch. ... For other uses, see Harpoon (disambiguation) Harpoon gun redirects here. ... Remains of seventeenth century blubber cauldrons at the abandoned Dutch settlement of Smeerenburg in Svalbard, Norway This article is about the body tissue. ... Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales of the genus Balaena, as , Greenland or right whale (northern whale-oil), (southern whale-oil), Balaenoptera longimana, Balaenoptera borealis (Finback oil, Finner whale-oil, Humpback oil). ... Binomial name Balaenoptttera borealis Lesson, 1828 Sei Whale range The Sei Whaile or Say Whale, (Balaenoptera borealis) is a big large baleen whale, and as such is one of the stupiest animals in the world. ... The term indigenous peoples has no universal, standard or fixed definition, but can be used about any ethnic group who inhabit the geographic region with which they have the earliest historical connection. ... The World Conservation Union or International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) is an international organization dedicated to natural resource conservation. ... The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List and Red Data List), created in 1963, is the worlds most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of plant and animal species. ... The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) is an international agreement between Governments, drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of the World Conservation Union (IUCN). ...

The Fin Whale is hunted in the Northern Hemisphere in Greenland, under the International Whaling Commission's procedure for aboriginal subsistence whaling. Meat and other products from whales killed in these hunts are widely marketed within the Greenland economy, but export is illegal. The IWC has set a quota of 19 Fin Whales per year for Greenland despite concern about uncertainty of current population levels. Iceland and Norway are not bound by the IWC's moratorium on commercial whaling because both countries filed objections to the moratorium.^[3] In October 2006, Iceland's fisheries ministry authorized the hunting of nine Fin Whales through August 2007.^[57] In the southern hemisphere, Japan has targeted Fin Whales in its Antarctic Special Permit whaling program for the 2005–2006 and 2006–2007 seasons at 10 whales killed per year.^[58] The proposal for 2007–2008 and the subsequent 12 seasons includes 50 Fin Whales per year.^[3]

Collisions with ships are an additional major cause of Fin Whale mortality. In some areas, they represent a substantial portion of the strandings of large whales. Most lethal and serious injuries are caused by large, fast-moving ships over or near the continental shelf.^[59]  Sediment  Rock  Mantle  The global continental shelf, highlighted in cyan The continental shelf is the extended perimeter of each continent and associated coastal plain, which is covered during interglacial periods such as the current epoch by relatively shallow seas (known as shelf seas) and gulfs. ...

See also

Cetaceans Portal

• Whaling in Iceland

This image shows the fluke of Sperm Whale as it begins a dive into the Gulf of Mexico. ... Iceland has a long tradition of subsistence whaling; whaling of one form or another has been conducted from the island since it became populated more than eleven hundred years ago. ...

References