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Ocean Calling

Ocean Atlas · Animals

Whales

Fin whale

Balaenoptera physalus

Sleek and fast, the fin whale is the second-largest animal on Earth. Its tall blow is worth watching for on open-ocean crossings.

VulnerableIn 37 Atlas countries

Vulnerable (IUCN, 2018) means it is at high risk of extinction in the wild.

Fin whale surfacing, showing its white right lower jaw
Photo: Ty Tomlinson on Unsplash
Fin whale back and dorsal fin breaking the surface
Photo: Steven Lamonde, iNaturalist, CC BY
Fin whale surfacing in deep blue water
Photo: Gianmaria Bonari, iNaturalist, CC BY
Long body of a fin whale arching at the surface
Photo: Sidonio Paes, iNaturalist, CC BY
Fin whale surfacing near a coastline
Photo: Sidonio Paes, iNaturalist, CC BY
Fin whale gliding just under the surface
Photo: russnamitz, iNaturalist, CC0
Fin whale dorsal fin rising from the sea
Photo: Julien Renoult, iNaturalist, CC BY
Fin whale blowing as it surfaces
Photo: Peter Shanks, iNaturalist, CC0

Photos show the species, not always the places on this page.

Length

Adults about 22.9 to 25.9 m (75 to 85 ft)

Weight

Adults about 36 to 73 tonnes (79,000 to 161,000 lb)

Next to a person

About 13 to 15 adults lying head to toe

What it eats

Krill, small schooling fish such as herring, capelin and sand lance, and squid.

Around people

Calm, give space

How it lives

The fin whale lunges into schools of prey at high speed with its mouth wide open, then strains the water out. In the feeding season it can eat up to about 1.8 tonnes a day. It is often alone or in small groups, and larger groups can gather where food is rich. Where it breeds is still unknown.

Where it goes

Movements differ between populations. Some fin whales travel long distances between feeding and wintering waters, but their breeding areas are unknown. Fin whales tagged off the Azores in spring stayed to feed for a while, and one then swam an almost direct path to East Greenland. Other populations, such as in the Gulf of California and the Mediterranean, can stay in one sea for much of the year.

Populations

The species is Vulnerable worldwide, but populations are doing very differently. Parts of the North Atlantic are in fairly good condition, while fin whales in the northern Gulf of St Lawrence show a decline. The Mediterranean population is separate enough to be managed on its own, and is believed to be declining. Timor-Leste's whale and dolphin programme lists the fin whale, but how often it is seen there is unknown.

Meet it respectfully

We watch fin whales only from the boat. They are very fast and at risk from ship strikes, so slow down, keep a steady lookout, never approach head on or cut across their path, and do not block them while they feed. Rules differ by place. In US waters, NOAA guidance asks boats to stay at least 100 yards (about 90 m) away. In the Azores and Madeira, the law keeps boats at least 50 m away and does not allow swimming with whales. In French Mediterranean waters, coming within 100 m of marine mammals is not allowed, and no one should enter the water near whales. In Canada, rules ask boats to keep 100 m from most whales and do not allow swimming with them. In Mexico, rules do not allow swimming, snorkelling or diving where whales are.

Fun fact

Tap the bulb to light it up.

Where it goes

Follow its journey

Watch it travel. Every line comes from satellite tracking or documented research, and the source is named.

StartEndJourney (the line joins documented areas; real paths vary)

Where you may meet it

Fin whale in the Ocean Atlas

Places we have researched where this animal is recorded. It is never guaranteed, and some places are for watching from the boat only.

FijiTanzaniaW. SaharaCanadaUnited States of AmericaKazakhstanUzbekistanPapua New GuineaIndonesiaArgentinaChileDem. Rep. CongoSomaliaKenyaSudanChadHaitiDominican Rep.RussiaBahamasFalkland Is.NorwayGreenlandFr. S. Antarctic LandsTimor-LesteSouth AfricaLesothoMexicoUruguayBrazilBoliviaPeruColombiaPanamaCosta RicaNicaraguaHondurasEl SalvadorGuatemalaBelizeVenezuelaGuyanaSurinameFranceEcuadorPuerto RicoJamaicaCubaZimbabweBotswanaNamibiaSenegalMaliMauritaniaBeninNigerNigeriaCameroonTogoGhanaCôte d'IvoireGuineaGuinea-BissauLiberiaSierra LeoneBurkina FasoCentral African Rep.CongoGabonEq. GuineaZambiaMalawiMozambiqueeSwatiniAngolaBurundiIsraelLebanonMadagascarPalestineGambiaTunisiaAlgeriaJordanUnited Arab EmiratesQatarKuwaitIraqOmanVanuatuCambodiaThailandLaosMyanmarVietnamNorth KoreaSouth KoreaMongoliaIndiaBangladeshBhutanNepalPakistanAfghanistanTajikistanKyrgyzstanTurkmenistanIranSyriaArmeniaSwedenBelarusUkrainePolandAustriaHungaryMoldovaRomaniaLithuaniaLatviaEstoniaGermanyBulgariaGreeceTurkeyAlbaniaCroatiaSwitzerlandLuxembourgBelgiumNetherlandsPortugalSpainIrelandNew CaledoniaSolomon Is.New ZealandAustraliaSri LankaChinaTaiwanItalyDenmarkUnited KingdomIcelandAzerbaijanGeorgiaPhilippinesMalaysiaBruneiSloveniaFinlandSlovakiaCzechiaEritreaJapanParaguayYemenSaudi ArabiaN. CyprusCyprusMoroccoEgyptLibyaEthiopiaDjiboutiSomalilandUgandaRwandaBosnia and Herz.MacedoniaSerbiaMontenegroKosovoTrinidad and TobagoS. SudanPond Inlet and the Nunavut floe edge, CanadaDigby Neck and Brier Island, CanadaSable Island, CanadaAjaccio and the Gulf of Ajaccio, FranceBonifacio, Porto-Vecchio and the Lavezzi Islands, FranceMarseille, the Calanques and Cassis, FrancePort-Cros, Porquerolles and Hyères, FranceVillefranche-sur-Mer and Nice, FranceLa Ventana, MexicoGuadalupe Island, MexicoSkjervøy and Kvænangen, NorwayFaial and Horta, PortugalMadeira, PortugalPico (Madalena and Lajes), PortugalPrincess Alice Bank, PortugalFlorida Keys (Key Largo), United StatesLa Jolla and the Channel Islands, United StatesMaui, United StatesOʻahu, United StatesSan Diego and La Jolla, United StatesJuneau and Southeast Alaska, United StatesGlacier Bay, United StatesSeward and Kenai Fjords, United StatesSilfra, Þingvellir, IcelandHúsavík and Skjálfandi Bay, IcelandSnæfellsnes and Grundarfjörður, IcelandReykjavík and Faxaflói, IcelandWestfjords, IcelandIlulissat and Disko Bay, GreenlandNuuk Fjord, GreenlandTasiilaq, East Greenland, GreenlandWest Cork coast, IrelandDingle Peninsula and Blasket Islands, IrelandShannon Estuary and Loop Head, IrelandSolovetsky Islands, White Sea, RussiaKandalaksha Gulf, White Sea, RussiaCommander Islands, RussiaPiltun, northeast Sakhalin, RussiaComino and the channel south of Comino, MaltaGozo north and north west coast, MaltaHabibas Islands, AlgeriaTaza, AlgeriaBay of Kotor, MontenegroUlcinj coast, MontenegroCabo de Palos and Cartagena, SpainEl Hierro and La Restinga, SpainFormentera, SpainFuerteventura, SpainGran Canaria, SpainIbiza, SpainJávea (Xàbia), SpainL'Estartit and the Medes Islands, SpainLa Herradura and Costa Tropical, SpainLa Palma, SpainLanzarote, SpainMallorca, SpainMenorca, SpainMálaga and the Costa del Sol, SpainTabarca and Alicante, SpainTarifa and the Strait of Gibraltar, SpainTenerife, SpainKaş, TürkiyeAntarctic Peninsula, AntarcticaSouth Shetland Islands, AntarcticaSouth Georgia, AntarcticaInner Hebrides (Coll, Tiree and Mull), United KingdomMoray Firth and Chanonry Point, United KingdomOrkney and Scapa Flow, United KingdomFarne Islands, United KingdomLundy, United KingdomTorshavn and Sandagerdi, Faroe IslandsChiloé and the Gulf of Corcovado, ChileFrancisco Coloane, Strait of Magellan, ChilePunta de Choros and the Humboldt Archipelago, ChileRapa Nui, ChileRobinson Crusoe Island (Juan Fernández), ChileWadden Sea, NetherlandsZeeland coast, NetherlandsBaird Bay and Eyre Peninsula, AustraliaBarunguba and Narooma, AustraliaBremer Bay, AustraliaCairns, Port Douglas and the Ribbon Reefs, AustraliaChristmas Island, AustraliaCocos (Keeling) Islands, AustraliaLady Elliot Island, AustraliaLord Howe Island, AustraliaNingaloo, AustraliaRowley Shoals, AustraliaTasman Peninsula and Eaglehawk Neck, AustraliaMaria Island and the east coast, AustraliaOkinawa, JapanHeligoland, GermanyKreidesee Hemmoor, GermanyRuegen and the Baltic coast, GermanyLittle Belt, DenmarkOresund near Helsingor, DenmarkOstend and Nieuwpoort coast, BelgiumFernando de Noronha, BrazilAbrolhos, BrazilPraia do Forte, BrazilSanta Catarina whale coast, BrazilBonito, BrazilPuerto Madryn and Punta Loma, ArgentinaPenínsula Valdés and Puerto Pirámides, ArgentinaSea Lion Island, Falkland IslandsAlonissos, GreeceAmorgos, GreeceAntiparos, GreeceAthens Riviera and Attica, GreeceCorfu, GreeceCrete, GreeceFolegandros, GreeceHalkidiki, GreeceKalamata and Messinia, GreeceKalymnos, GreeceKea, GreeceKefalonia, GreeceKos, GreeceMilos, GreeceNaxos, GreeceNisyros, GreeceRhodes, GreeceSkopelos, GreeceZakynthos, GreeceKaikōura, New ZealandPoor Knights Islands, New ZealandBay of Islands, New ZealandHauraki Gulf, New ZealandAkaroa and Banks Peninsula, New ZealandAwala Yalimapo and the Amana reserve, French GuianaMáncora, Los Órganos and Cabo Blanco, PeruPunta Sal and the Tumbes coast, PeruParacas and the Ballestas Islands, PeruAliwal Shoal and Umkomaas, South AfricaCape Town and Hermanus, South AfricaSodwana Bay, South AfricaEilat and the Coral Beach Nature Reserve, IsraelTrincomalee and Nilaveli, Sri LankaBourail, Poé and Déva, New CaledoniaNouméa and the Great Southern Lagoon, New CaledoniaPoindimié and Hienghène, New CaledoniaÎle des Pins (Kunié), New CaledoniaKosterhavet National Park, SwedenGullmar fjord and Lysekil, SwedenStockholm archipelago, SwedenKullaberg, Sweden

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AlgeriaAntarcticaArgentinaAustraliaBelgiumBrazilCanadaChileDenmarkFalkland IslandsFaroe IslandsFranceFrench GuianaGermanyGreeceGreenlandIcelandIrelandIsraelJapanMaltaMexicoMontenegroNetherlandsNew CaledoniaNew ZealandNorwayPeruPortugalRussiaSouth AfricaSpainSri LankaSwedenTürkiyeUnited KingdomUnited States
Sources for this page

Facts checked 26 September 2026. Photos: Unsplash licence, or Creative Commons as shown on each photo.

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