General Description

Upper body grey to brown, white underneath. Lines (throat pleats) underneath from throat to middle of the body. Dorsal fin with curved edge. Tail wide with a pointed notch in the middle of the rear edge. Water spray from blowhole is a vertical jet about 5 m high. Up to 27 m long.

Biology

Fin Whales feed by rolling on their side and opening their mouth to catch krill.

Humans interactions include:
Commercial whaling of this species still occurs in some ocean areas.

Habitat

Deep waters.

Open water

Distribution guide

Worldwide. Most Australian waters. Potentially near Port Phillip, recorded from Victoria.

Species Group

Mammals › Whales and dolphins

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)
Shallow (1-30 m)
Deep ( > 30 m)

Water Column

Surface Midwater

Max Size

27 m

Diet

Plankton or Particles

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Conservation Status

• DSE Advisory List : Data Deficient
• EPBC Act 1999 : Vulnerable
• IUCN Red List : Endangered
• CITES : Trade restrictions (Appendix I)