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Fin whale Facts

Fin whale Facts
Fin whale is one of the largest whales on the planet. It belongs to the group of baleen whales. Fin whale can be found in all oceans of the world. There are two subspecies of fin whales: northern (inhabits oceans of the northern hemisphere) and southern (inhabits oceans of the southern hemisphere). Fin whales prefer temperate and polar waters. They usually swim in the open sea away from the shore. Main factors which decrease number of fin whales in the wild are whaling, noise pollution, drastic reduction of available food (fish), collisions with ships and entanglement in the fishing nets. Fin whales are listed as endangered animals.
Interesting Fin whale Facts:
Fin whale is the second largest animal on the planet (blue whale is the largest). It can reach 85 feet in length and 40 to 80 tons of weight.
Dorsal and lateral sides of the body are dark grey or black; belly is white colored. Fin whales have unusually colored lower jaw: right side of the jaw is always white, left side is black.
Fin whales have V-shaped head and streamlined body. Hook-shaped fin can be seen on a dorsal side of the body. Fin whales have multiple ridges on the throat which facilitate ingestion of large quantities of water with food.
Fin whales have baleen plates (comb-like structure made of keratin) instead of teeth. Baleen plates filter edible particles from ingested sea water. This type of eating is known as filter-feeding.
Krill (small crustaceans) is basic type of food for fin whales. Sardines, cod, herring and mackerel are on the menu during the winter. Fin whale eats 2 tons of food each day.
Fin whale can dive to the depth of 1800 feet and stay under the water 20 minutes.
Fin whale is the fastest known whale species. It usually swims at the speed of 18 miles per hour, but it can reach 30 miles per hour when needed.
Main predators of fin whales are killer whales which attack young and very old fin whales.
Fin whales rarely breach out of the water.
Fin whales are usually solitary or live in groups composed of 3 to 7 whales.
Fin whales produce low pitched sounds, grunts and moans for communication.
Fin whales feed in the cold waters. They migrate to warmer waters to reproduce.
Mating and calving takes place from November to March. Female gives birth every 3rd year. Pregnancy lasts 11 months and ends with one baby. Baby whale is 20 feet long and weighs 2 to 3 tons at birth. It depends on the mother's milk 6 to 7 months. Young whales reach sexual maturity at the age of 6 to 12 years.
Hybrid species, created by interbreeding of blue and fin whales, can be occasionally seen in the wild.
Fin whales can survive more than 80 years in the wild.


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