Family-- Balaenopteridae (Rorquals)

IDENTIFICATION
The Fin Whale (also known as the Finback Whale) is the second largest animal to have ever lived on Earth (after the Blue Whale). It can grow to 21 metres or more; the largest ever recorded was 24.5 metres long. The Fin Whale is grey on the back and sides, and white on the underside, including the flippers and flukes. The colour pattern on the head is not symmetrical; the lower jaw is white on the right side and dark on the left. The dorsal fin is strongly curved and is about 60 cm tall. A Fin Whale's blow forms an inverted cone up to about 6 metres high.

MEALS, MANNERS AND MIGRATION
Fin Whales travel in pods of six or seven, but are often seen alone or in pairs. They can dive deep, sometimes to 230 metres. They are also fast swimmers, capable of more than 32 km per hour (17 knots). Males are sexually mature when they reach about 19 metres long, and females when they reach about 20 metres. Cows give birth every two to three years after an 11-12 month gestation period. Fin Whales eat krill and a variety of fish (sandlance, herring, capelin, cod and pollack). Most Fins migrate northward in the spring and southward in the fall.

STATUS
The Fin Whale population in the entire North Pacific is well below pre-whaling numbers although there is some indication that it may be growing. COSEWIC lists the Fin Whale as vulnerable.

DISTRIBUTION
The Fin Whale inhabits the oceans of both hemispheres. Although typically associated with offshore waters, B.C. whalers frequently encountered this species in Hecate Strait and in some of the channels and inlets on the northern mainland coast. Recently, several Fin Whales were sighted in Queen Charlotte Sound.