fin whale

fin whale, (Balaenoptera physalus), a slender baleen whale, second in size to the blue whale and distinguishable by its asymmetrical coloration. The fin whale is generally gray with a white underside, but the right side of the head has a light gray area, a white lower jaw, and white baleen at the front of the mouth.

The fin whale is 18–27 metres (59–89 feet) long, with short baleen and 56–100 grooves along its throat and chest. It is found in all the world’s oceans, in groups of a few to several hundred. Some fin whale populations live and feed in temperate waters during the summer and migrate to warmer waters in winter to breed. The fin whale’s diet is unusually diverse for a cetacean, ranging from small crustaceans, such as copepods and krill, to fish and squid.

The fin whale was once a commercially valuable species, but populations were substantially reduced during the mid-20th century by overhunting. Though listed as an endangered species, it is now commonly seen in the Northern Hemisphere and is protected by limits on the number that can be taken for noncommercial purposes. In the Southern Hemisphere, however, encounters with this species are rare.

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The fin whale and blue whale (Balaeonoptera musculus) are related, as both are rorquals belonging to the family Balaenopteridae. The latter portion of the fin whale’s scientific name, physalus, was once used in reference to all rorquals.