Fin Whale
Balaenoptera physalus
Fin Whale Behaviour
Fin Whale Foraging Behaviour
Fin whales
occur alone of in small groups of 2 or 3 individuals although
this might reflect their rarity. Groups of 15 or more have
been reported from the Gulf of St. Lawrence (Wilson and Ruff
1999). The gorge on
euphasiids, and especially
sand lance, and
herring that they catch following high speed dashes and
lunges (Wilson and Duff 1999). They filter feed using their
baleen by gulping food.
Fin Whale Locomotion
Fin whales surface several times to breathe and
their blows are distinct. They remain under water for a brief
period of about 5 to 10 minutes and seldom raise their tails
before a dive. They are highly maneuverable for large whales
and are capable of swimming at over 25 knots for short
duration (Reeves et al. 2002).
Fin Whale Breeding Behaviour
Fin whales
mate during the northern winter and calves are born a year
later. Not much is known about where fin whales give birth but
it is assumed to occur in tropical waters (Reeves et al.
2002). Calves are weaned after a year and reach sexual
maturity about 6 years later (Wilson and Ruff 1999). Birthing
intervals are about 2 years.
Fin Whale Vocalizations
Fin and blue
whales utter the lowest frequency sounds of any animal and
below human hearing range (<20 Hz Wilson and Ruff 1999). How
and why they use these sounds is unknown.
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