FIN WHALE

also called Finback Whale, Razorback Whale, or Common Rorqual (species Balaenoptera physalus), slender-bodied baleen whale, belonging to the family Balaenopteridae; its name derives from the ridge on its back. The fin whale is a swift, streamlined whale 18 to 24 m (60 to 80 feet) long. It has a triangular dorsal fin, short baleen, and 80 or more grooves along its throat and chest. It is gray with white on the underparts and on the right side of the lower jaw. The fin whale is found in all the world oceans, in groups of a few to several hundred. It lives in polar waters in summer, feeding on crustaceans and small fishes, and moves to warmer waters in winter to breed. It is a commercially valuable species but has been substantially reduced in numbers by overhunting. It is partially protected (by limits on the size of catches) but is listed as a vulnerable species in the Red Data Book.