Fin Whale

Balaenoptera physalus

The fin whale is a member of the rorqual family, meaning that it can be recognized byits many throat grooves, which are in fact pleats, allowing for increased mouth capacity (like a pelican's pouch). Unlike most other whales, however, the fin whale has asymetrical colouring. While it is slate-grayish blue above and white below, the riht side of this whale's face is conspicuously lighter than the left. The fin whale reaches lengths of about 18-20 metres in the northern hemisphere, where it frequents the deep waters about 45 kilometres from shore. In summer, these whales feed on krill found by echolocation, while at other times it preys upon herings, capelin, and squid. With the advent of the harpoon gun, it was possible to efficiently hunt these quickly-sinking whales, and fin whales were taken as recently as the late 1960s from floating factory ships and on shore from Newfoundland and Vancouver Island. Despite efforts to protect them, the fin whale population does not appear to be stabilizing.