Kingdom : Animalia Class : Mammalia Family : Balaenopteridae Scientific Name : Balaenoptera Physalus Size(L) : 6.5cm - 24cm (21ft - 79ft) Weight : 1,800kg - 70,000kg (4,000lbs - 150,000lbs) Top Speed : 40km/h (25mph) Life Span : 50 - 60 years Colour : Grey, Black, White, Blue Skin Type : Smooth Distinctive Features : Pointed snout and two blowholes on top of the head
- Fin Whales are large marine mammals found in the oceans all around the world.
- They are the second largest animals in the world after the Blue Whale.
- They grow to be around 20m long and have a long, slender body.
- They are either blue or grey in color and their undersides are slightly lighter.
- Distinctively, they have a pointed snout and two blowholes on top of their head.
- There are 2 species- the Norther Fin Whale and The Antarctic Fin Whale.
- They are found in the Northern Hemisphere and the Southern Hemisphere respectively.
- The Antarctic Fin Whales are larger in size than the Northern Fin Whale, otherwise, they are similar in appearance.
- Fin Whales are known to inhabit cold and tropical water though they prefer temperate regions.
- They are carnivores feeding on fish, krill, plankton, squid and crustaceans.
- They filter feed by opening their mouth and swimming faster.
- The specially designed plates in their mouth, help them filter out their food.
- They have no natural predators, but new born fin whale calves are sometimes attacked by large sharks.
- Humans have also hunted them extensively.
- Fin Whales breed in winter and migrate southwards to warmer water to nurse their young.
- The females give birth to the calves after a yearlong gestation.
- The calves feed on their mother’s milk for 7 months and then start hunting in water.
- Fin Whales are an endangered species today.