Pacific (top); S.
Leatherwood, southern California (middle and inset); and F. W. True,
northern North Atlantic, courtesy of U.S. National Museum (bottom)._)]

[Illustration: Figure 11.--A blue whale swimming leisurely at the
surface off San Clemente Island, Calif. Note that the blowholes, marked
by the raised areas on the top of the head, are still exposed after the
dorsal fin has become visible. Note also the very small size and the
shape of the dorsal fin and its position well back towards the tail.
(_Photo by S. Leatherwood._)]

[Illustration: Figure 12.--A sequence showing fast-swimming blue whales
off southern California. The animal rises rather steeply to the surface
(a), emits a tall, vertical blow (b, c), shows its broad bluish back,
mottled with grayish white, and its small dorsal fin (d, e), and then
dives out of sight (f). When swimming in this manner, blue whales
sometimes raise their tail flukes slightly above the surface before
beginning their long dives (g). (_Photos by J. F. Fish (a-f) and K. C.
Balcomb (g)._)]

[Illustration: Figure 13.--Two views of blue whales on the ramps of
whaling stations in Japan (top) and at Hermitage Bay, Newfoundland
(bottom). Note the broad rounded appearance of the head, the single
central head ridge, and the dark bluish-gray coloration, interrupted
only by mottlings of grayish white. In the animal on the bottom note the
all-black baleen plates, which are very broad relative to their length.
(_Photos by Japanese Whales Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura
(top); and F. W. True, courtesy of U.S. National Museum (bottom)._)]

[Illustration: Figure 14.--Dead blue whales, harpooned and afloat off
the stern of a factory ship in the Antarctic (top), and on the deck of a
whaling station in western Canada (bottom). In both, note the numerous
ventral grooves (from 55 to 85 or more) extending to the region of the
navel and sometimes beyond, and the light coloration of the undersides
of the flippers. Even though grooves are often present above the
flippers, and occasionally even on the side of the head, counts of
ventral grooves are usually made between the flippers. (_Photos by
Japanese Whales Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura (top); and G.
C. Pike, courtesy of I. MacAskie (bottom)._)]

FIN WHALE (B)

_Balaenoptera physalus_ (Linnaeus 1758)

Other Common Names

Finback whale, finner, razorback, common rorqual.

Description

Fin whales have been report