Fin whale - Ecology & Habitat

Almost no feeding for more than one season

Fin whales are pelagic and coastal species, sometimes occurring in shallow waters (30 m).

Social Structure
Although the species is mostly observed as single animals, fin whales are also sometimes seen in pairs, or in groups (or pods) that commonly count 6 to 7 individuals. However, up to 50, and occasionally as many as 300, travel together on migrations. Social structure seems to vary by area, and may be related to differences in age or feeding strategies.

Life Cycle
Young fin whales nurse for 6-7 months. Having reached approximately 12 m in size, they follow the female to the high latitude feeding areas. Sexual maturity is reached between 6 to 11 years. The life span of a fin whale is around 85 to 90 years.

Breeding
It has been assumed that mating occurs when the whales are in warm waters, but no breeding grounds have been observed. Females give birth every 2-3 years and the gestation period is 11 to 11.5 months. Usually a single offspring is born, reaching 650 cm long and weighing almost 2 tons.

Diet
During autumn and winter, there is almost no feeding, at which time whales are found in lower latitudes. The diet varies between areas and seasons. Herring, capelin and other shoaling fish are eaten in both the North Atlantic and North Pacific, along with squid, and euphausiids (krill - shrimp-like crustaceans) and copepods which are small crustaceans.

The fin whale, like other baleen whales, strains its food from the water through baleen plates.