Fin whale
Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758)
VUVulnerablewhales and dolphins
It is a giant, marine, diurnal animal with an adult body mass of 70 tonnes, and its diet category is invertivore. The IUCN Red List classifies the fin whale as Vulnerable (VU), a threatened category, and its lifespan is given as 95 years.
Quick facts about the fin whale
- Weight
- 38.8 t – 70 tsrc for Weight
- Length
- up to 27.3 msrc for Length
- Lifespan
- 95 years – 116 yearssrc for Lifespan
- Diet
- Invertivoresrc for Diet
- Main food
- Not recorded
- Habitat
- Not recorded
- Gestation
- 342 days – 353 dayssrc for Gestation
- Young per litter or clutch
- 1src for Young per litter or clutch
- Age at maturity
- 4.49 years – 6.33 yearssrc for Age at maturity
- Litters or clutches a year
- 0.4src for Litters or clutches a year
- Active
- By day (diurnal)src for Active
- Lifestyle
- Marinesrc for Lifestyle
- Conservation status
- Vulnerable (IUCN)src for Conservation status
- Countries on record
- Not recorded
Photos of the fin whale
Only freely licensed photos are shown. Each carries its creator and licence.
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Where does the fin whale live?
Not recorded
What is the fin whale?
The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), also known as the finback whale or common rorqual, is a species of baleen whale and the second-longest cetacean after the blue whale. The biggest individual reportedly measured 26–27.3 m (85–90 ft) in length, with a maximum recorded weight of 65.5 to 120 t (64.5 to 118.1 long tons; 72.2 to 132.3 short tons). The fin whale's body is long, slender, and brownish-gray in color, with a paler underside to appear less conspicuous from below (countershading).
At least two recognized subspecies exist, one in the North Atlantic and one across the Southern Hemisphere. The species is found in all the major oceans, from polar to tropical waters, and is absent only from waters close to the pack ice at the poles and relatively small areas of water away from the open ocean. The highest population density occurs in temperate and cool waters. Its prey mainly consists of smaller schooling fish, small squid, and crustaceans, including copepods and krill. Mating takes place in temperate, low-latitude seas during the winter. Fin whales are often observed in pods of 6–10 animals, with whom they communicate using frequency-modulated sounds, ranging from 16 to 40 hertz.
Like all other large whales, the fin whale was a prized kill during the "heyday" of whaling from 1840 to 1861. This remained so into the 20th century, but decades of overharvesting contributed to declining numbers through the late 20th century. Over 725,000 fin whales were reportedly taken from the Southern Hemisphere between 1905 and 1976. Postrecovery numbers of the southern subspecies are predicted to be less than 50% of the pre-whaling population, even by 2010, due to long-lasting impacts of whaling and slow recovery rates. In the North Atlantic, it is considered to be fully recovered from past exploitation, while in other oceans, it is still in the process of recovery. As of 2018, it was assessed as vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature.
From the Wikipedia article “Fin whale” (en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fin_whale&oldid=1382069990), by Wikipedia contributors, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0). This block is kept separate from our own text.
What does the fin whale sound like?
Is the fin whale endangered?
The fin whale is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List: it faces a high risk of extinction in the wild.
- LCLeast Concern
- NTNear Threatened
- VUVulnerable
- ENEndangered
- CRCritically Endangered
- EWExtinct in the Wild
- EXExtinct
Category via Wikidata (CC0). Find the full assessment on the IUCN Red List. See all Vulnerable species.
How is the fin whale classified?
- kingdomAnimalia
- phylumChordata
- classMammalia
- orderCetacea
- familyBalaenopteridae
- genusBalaenoptera
- SpeciesBalaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758)
Synonyms Balaena antipodarum, Balaena maximus borealis, Balaena mysticetus major, Balaena physalis, Balaena physalus, Balaena rostrata australis, Balaena sulcata, Balaenoptera antarctica, Balaenoptera aragous, Balaenoptera australis, Balaenoptera blythii, Balaenoptera brasiliensis, Balaenoptera mediterraneensis, Balaenoptera mediterranensis, Balaenoptera musculus, Balaenoptera patachonica, Balaenoptera patagonica, Balaenoptera quoyii, Balaenoptera rorqual, Balaenoptera sulcata, Balaenoptera sulcata arctica, Balaenoptera swinhoii, Balaenoptera swinhoii, Balaenoptera tenuirostris, Balaenoptera velifera copei, Balaenopteris guibusdam, Benedenia knoxii, Dubertus rhodinsulensis, Physalis vulgaris, Physalus antarcticus, Physalus australis, Physalus brasiliensis, Physalus dugundii, Physalus fasciatus, Physalus verus, Pterobalaena communis, Pterobalaena gigantea, Pterobalaena gigantea michrochira, Rorqualus musculus, Sibbaldius tectirostris, Sibbaldius tuberosus, Sibbalius veliferus, Swinhoia chinensis
Other names and names in other languages (167)
- Big finnerEnglish
- Blue whaleEnglish
- Common finbackEnglish
- Common finback whaleEnglish
- Common finwhaleEnglish
- Common Roqualor fin whaleEnglish
- Common rorqualEnglish
- Common rorqualEnglish
- Fin-backed whaleEnglish
- Fin-backed whaleEnglish
- FinbackEnglish
- FinbackEnglish
- Finback whaleEnglish
- FinfishEnglish
- FinnerEnglish
- FinnerEnglish
- GibbarEnglish
- Herring whaleEnglish
- Herring whaleEnglish
- Razor backEnglish
- RazorbackEnglish
- Razorback whaleEnglish
- RorkwalAfrikaans
- Gewone Rorkwal-vinwalvisAfrikaans
- vinwalvisAfrikaans
- mangidakhAleut
- mangidadakhAleut
- حوت زعنفيArabic
- harcul chaiiArabic
- Rorqual comúnAragonese
- BalhenaAsturian
- ballenaAsturian
- ФинвалBulgarian
- Син китBulgarian
- finvаlBulgarian
- sin kitBulgarian
- Balum boutinBreton
- rorqual comúCatalan
- nilchoken biuuckt
- niltkhokkein uiiutckt
- plejtvák myšokCzech
- morfil asgellog glasWelsh
- morfil asgellog llwydWelsh
- Morfilod Asgellog LlwydWelsh
- blåhvalDanish
- finhvalDanish
- Silde-RorenDanish
- BlauwalGerman
- FinnfischGerman
- FinnwalGerman
- RiesenwalGerman
- SchanelwalGerman
- SchnabelwalGerman
- ΠτεροφάλαιναGreek
- Γαλάζια φάλαιναGreek
- pterofálainaGreek
- BalenopteroEsperanto
- kilaSpanish
- Ballena AletaSpanish
- ballena bobaSpanish
- Ballena de aletaSpanish
- ballena finSpanish
- ballena fisalusSpanish
- rorcual azulSpanish
- rorcual comúnSpanish
- rorcual de aletaSpanish
- HeeringavaalEstonian
- Zere arruntBasque
- Zere handiaBasque
- نهنگ تیغبالهPersian
- sillivalasFinnish
- Baleine finFrench
- Baleine à nageoiresFrench
- baleine américaineFrench
- baleine bleueFrench
- Baleinoptère communeFrench
- rorqual communFrench
- vraie baleineFrench
- DroimeiteachIrish
- muc-an-sgadainScottish Gaelic
- mucan-an-sgadainScottish Gaelic
- לויתן ענקHebrew
- לווייתן מצויHebrew
- לוויתן מצויHebrew
- לויתן מצויHebrew
- livyatan matzuiHebrew
- veliki kitCroatian
- Kit perajarCroatian
- közönséges barázdásbálnaHungarian
- paus siripIndonesian
- sildrekIcelandic
- finnhvalerIcelandic
- furehvalerIcelandic
- hunfubaksIcelandic
- langreydurIcelandic
- LangreyðurIcelandic
- sildrekiIcelandic
- rorqualoItalian
- balenottera azzurraItalian
- balenottera comuneItalian
- balenottera fisalloItalian
- rorqual comuneItalian
- rorqualloItalian
- ナガスクジラJapanese
- nagasu kujiraJapanese
- tunnolikKalaallisut
- keporkarnakKalaallisut
- TikaagulliusaaqKalaallisut
- 참고래Korean
- 큰고래Korean
- cham-goraeKorean
- vapakylichankpy
- finvalasLithuanian
- mėlynasis banginisLithuanian
- FinvalisLatvian
- trozona amam-bomboMalagasy
- TohoraMāori
- ചിറകൻ തിമിംഗലംMalayalam
- baliena mbaccaMaltese
- Baliena MbaððaMaltese
- vinvisDutch
- blauwe vinvisDutch
- gewone vinvisDutch
- blåkvalNorwegian Nynorsk
- finnkvalNorwegian Nynorsk
- rorenNorwegian
- finefiskNorwegian
- finnhvalNorwegian
- finqvalNorwegian
- loddehvalNorwegian
- sildehvalNorwegian
- sildrörNorwegian
- stor-hvalNorwegian
- finwalPolish
- płetwal błękitnyPolish
- Płetwal zwyczajnyPolish
- فن وہیلWestern Panjabi
- baleia-finaPortuguese
- baleia-comumPortuguese
- finvalRussian
- кит синийRussian
- сельдяной китRussian
- nastoiashchiy polosatikRussian
- obyknovennyi polosatikRussian
- seldianoi polosatikRussian
- Vráskavec myšokSlovak
- sinji kitSlovenian
- brazdasti kitSlovenian
- Кит перајарSerbian
- blåvalSwedish
- finnfiskSwedish
- rörvalSwedish
- sillhvalSwedish
- sillvalSwedish
- วาฬฟินThai
- gök balinaTurkish
- fin balinasiTurkish
- gök balinasıTurkish
- uzun balinaTurkish
- ФінвалUkrainian
- Кит синійUkrainian
- Синій китUkrainian
- Смугастик БрайдаUkrainian
- Cá voi vâyVietnamese
- 長須鯨Chinese
- 長鬚鯨Chinese
- 长须鲸Chinese
Catalogue of LifeWikipediaiNaturalistTAXREFWikidataWoRMSIUCN Red List
Relatives of the fin whale
Other species in the same genus Balaenoptera.
Blue whale
Balaenoptera musculus
Sei whale
Balaenoptera borealis
Common minke whale
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Bryde's whale
Balaenoptera omurai
Ordinary minke whale
Balaenoptera bonaerensis
Rice's whale
Balaenoptera ricei
CompareFin whale vs Blue whaleFin whale vs Sei whaleFin whale vs Common minke whaleFin whale vs Bryde's whale
Common questions
Each answer is written from the sourced facts on this page, and only where they hold the answer.
What kind of animal is the fin whale?
The fin whale is a mammal in the whales and dolphins group. It belongs to the order Cetacea, suborder Mysticeti and family Balaenopteridae.
How heavy is a fin whale?
An adult Fin whale has a body mass of 70 tonnes, which places it in the giant size class.
What does the fin whale eat?
The fin whale is an invertivore, and its trophic level is carnivore.
Is the fin whale endangered?
The fin whale is listed as Vulnerable (VU) on the IUCN Red List, which is a threatened category.
How long does a fin whale live?
The fin whale's lifespan is given as 95 years, with values up to 116 years reported.
How many young does a fin whale have?
A fin whale has 1 young per litter, with 0.4 litters per year and a gestation period of 342 days.
When does a fin whale reach sexual maturity?
A fin whale reaches sexual maturity at 6.2 years, with reported values from 4.5 to 6.3 years.
Who named the fin whale?
The fin whale, Balaenoptera physalus, was named by (Linnaeus, 1758).
Sources and how to cite this page
Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.
- An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles · CC0 1.0 · E096-269
Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1 - Catalogue of Life eXtended Release · CC BY 4.0 · 2026-10-16 XR
Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf - Wikimedia Commons · per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed) · 2026-11-11
Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence). - EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals · CC0 1.0 · 1.0
Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1 - Wikidata · CC0 1.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service). - Wikipedia (English) · CC BY-SA 4.0 · 2026-11-11
Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).
Embed a card for this animal on your own site
Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.
CreatureData. (2026). Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/fin-whale
“Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/fin-whale.
@misc{fin_whale_2026,
title = {Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)},
author = {{CreatureData}},
year = {2026},
url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/fin-whale},
note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}