# Fin Whale — Facts, Threats & Conservation

*Balaenoptera physalus*

> The fin whale is the second-largest animal on Earth after the blue whale, reaching 25 m (82 ft) and 70 tonnes with an asymmetric jaw colouring. A fast baleen whale capable of 40 km/h bursts, it filters krill and small fish and is listed Vulnerable after decades of commercial whaling.

**IUCN status:** Vulnerable  ·  **WARN range:** Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, Oceans, South America

## Quick facts
| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Scientific name | Balaenoptera physalus |
| Diet | Carnivore — krill, small fish, and copepods (filter feeder) |
| Habitat | Open oceans worldwide; migrates between feeding and breeding areas |
| Lifespan | 80–90 years |
| Weight | Up to 70,000 kg (154,000 lb) |
| Top speed | Up to 40 km/h (25 mph); called the 'greyhound of the sea' |
| Conservation status | Vulnerable (IUCN) |

## Scientific classification
- **Kingdom:** Animalia
- **Phylum:** Chordata
- **Class:** Mammalia
- **Order:** Artiodactyla
- **Family:** Balaenopteridae
- **Genus:** Balaenoptera

## Conservation status
- **Status:** Vulnerable (IUCN Red List category)
- **Population:** Global population not compiled for this guide
- **Trend:** See the IUCN Red List assessment
- **Assessed:** See the IUCN Red List assessment
- **CITES:** See CITES appendices
- Conservation figures are drawn from the IUCN Red List and CITES; this guide links to the authoritative sources rather than restating population counts.

## Key facts: Fin Whale
- Fin whales gulp enormous mouthfuls of water and strain krill and fish through baleen plates — keratin fringes hanging from the upper jaw.
- The right lower jaw is white, the left dark — a unique asymmetry whose function is debated, possibly related to corralling prey while swimming on their side.
- Fin whales migrate between high-latitude feeding grounds and lower-latitude breeding areas.

## How do fin whales feed?
Fin whales gulp enormous mouthfuls of water and strain krill and fish through baleen plates — keratin fringes hanging from the upper jaw. They lunge-feed in productive upwellings and may cooperate loosely to concentrate prey. This is filter feeding at the scale of the second-largest animal on Earth, not the toothed hunting of sperm whales or orcas.

## Why is a fin whale's jaw two colours?
The right lower jaw is white, the left dark — a unique asymmetry whose function is debated, possibly related to corralling prey while swimming on their side. A prominent dorsal fin set far back gives a sleek profile unlike blue whales. The colour split is a field mark, not a wound or a paint job.

## Do fin whales migrate?
Fin whales migrate between high-latitude feeding grounds and lower-latitude breeding areas. Their low-frequency vocalisations carry hundreds of kilometres underwater and may help navigation or mate finding across ocean basins. Shipping noise sits in the same frequency neighbourhood, which is why ocean noise is a welfare issue for this species and not only a curiosity.

## Are fin whales recovering from whaling?
Industrial whaling decimated fin whales in the 20th century. Listed Vulnerable, populations are increasing in the North Atlantic and Southern Ocean where hunting has largely ceased, but ship strikes and entanglement remain significant threats. Vulnerable is a threatened category: recovery is real in some ocean basins and incomplete in others.

## Does WARN run a fin whale programme?
No. WARN does not operate marine mammal field teams. This guide is part of the free educational library. WARN’s marine-related appeals focus on sea turtles and habitat in partner-network countries; they are not a fin-whale census or a stranding network.

## What WARN does
WARN does not run a dedicated fin whale programme — this guide is part of the World Animal Rescue Network's free educational library. The fin whale faces documented conservation pressure in the wild, which is why clear, sourced public information about it matters. Building public understanding of species like the fin whale supports the broader conservation awareness that underpins WARN's partner-led rescue work across its network.

If clear, science-based wildlife guides like this help you understand and value animals, please consider supporting the World Animal Rescue Network's educational and rescue work so we can keep producing them.

## Frequently asked questions: Fin Whale
### How big is a fin whale?
Up to about 25 m and 70 tonnes — second only to the blue whale among all animals.

### Fin whale vs blue whale?
Blue whales are larger with a mottled blue-grey body and small dorsal fin. Fin whales are slightly smaller, faster, with a swept-back dorsal fin and asymmetric jaw.

### Why is the jaw two colours?
The white right lower jaw may help fin whales see prey when rolling to feed on their right side — though the exact reason is not fully confirmed.

### Are fin whales dangerous?
Fin Whales are not generally dangerous to people. The fin whale is the second-largest animal on Earth after the blue whale, reaching 25 m (82 ft) and 70 tonnes with an asymmetric jaw colouring. Give wild individuals space and do not corner or handle them.

### How long do fin whales live?
Fin Whales typically live 80–90 years. The fin whale is the second-largest animal on Earth after the blue whale, reaching 25 m (82 ft) and 70 tonnes with an asymmetric jaw colouring. Wild and captive figures can differ; use the sources listed on the guide for the underlying studies.

### What do fin whales eat?
Mainly krill in cold waters and small schooling fish such as herring and sand lance, filtered through baleen.

## Sources
- [IUCN Red List — Balaenoptera physalus](https://www.iucnredlist.org/search?query=Balaenoptera%20physalus&searchType=species)
- [Wikipedia — Fin Whale](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fin_whale)
- [Wikidata — Fin Whale](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q43244)

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Full guide: https://worldanimalrescuenetwork.org/wildlife-guides/fin-whale