May 14, 2025 • 30 mins
Dive into the expansive world of the Fin Whale, the fast and widely distributed second-largest animal on Earth, known for undertaking extensive seasonal migrations across major oceans. Learn how this species, classified as vulnerable due to historical whaling, faces ongoing threats like ship strikes and entanglement. Discover their vital ecological role as filter feeders and their contribution to nutrient cycling in marine ecosystems, highlighting why conservation efforts and continued research are crucial for their recovery and the health of our oceans.
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(00:02):
You're listening to a podcast from Moo Nature Documentaries.
Today we're plunging into the magnificent world of the fin
whale. A fantastic subject.
Absolutely. This incredible creature is
often celebrated as the greyhound of the sea or
incredibly, the second largest animal on Earth.
That's right, second only to theblue whale.
Still absolutely enormous. Our mission for this deep dive
(00:26):
is to uncover the surprising facts, the the absolutely
incredible adaptations, and the vital ecological role this
colossal creature plays in our oceans.
And the challenges too, right? We need to talk about those.
Definitely, We'll explore the significant challenges it faces
in our modern world. We're going to unpack why this
incredible animal holds such a crucial place in our oceans and
(00:48):
what it means for you. What's truly fascinating, and
maybe a good place to start, is how these giants defy their
immense size. They're not just big, they're
masters of efficiency and communication, navigating vast
ocean distances in ways where only just beginning to truly
understand, right. Imagine their unique speed and
(01:08):
those far reaching vocalizations.
They aren't just neat tricks, they are the very tools that
allow them to dominate their environment, to find food, find
mates. Survive.
So OK, let's get into that. With those astounding
capabilities, how do these incredible creatures manage to
be so successful in the vast cold ocean?
(01:30):
What are their secrets? Well, a lot of it comes down
their basic design, that streamlined body shape.
It's essentially a perfect torpedo.
Like biologically engineered forspeed?
Exactly. It allows them to slice through
the water at remarkable speeds, up to 37 kilometres per hour. 37
That truly makes them one of thefastest whales out there.
It does, and that's essential for covering huge distances,
(01:51):
chasing down schools of fish, that sort of thing.
That's incredibly fast for an animal that can be, what, 26
meters long? Up to 26 meters, yeah, way up to
80 tons. So moving that mask quickly is
quite an achievement. Mind blowing.
And then there were those easingbaleen plates.
Tell us about those. What's the genius behind that
system? The beline, yeah, it's central
to how they eat. Their whole feeding strategy.
(02:14):
These plates, they're made of keratin, basically the same
stuff as your fingernails. Really.
Yeah, and they hang down from the upper jaw, acting like this
enormous sieve or filter. So how does it work in practice?
Well, the whale takes in just a huge mouthful of water along
with whatever small praise, and it curls small fish.
Then it uses its massive tongue to push the water out through
(02:37):
the gaps in the baleen. The baleen plates crap the food
inside. Like a giant pasta strainer.
Kind of a very effective one. It's an incredibly efficient way
to gather the vast quantities oftiny food needed to sustain that
immense body. Makes sense.
Yeah, And you mentioned the sizeup to 80 tons.
That must help with more than just eating.
Oh absolutely. That sheer size is a massive
(02:58):
advantage in itself. It acts as a powerful deterrent
against most predators. Like orcas?
Primarily orcas, yes. While workers do sometimes hunt
them, tackling a full grown, healthy fin whale is a very
risky proposition even for them.Imagine and underneath the skin.
They live in cold waters often. Exactly.
They have a very thick blubber layer, many centimeters thick.
(03:21):
This provides essential insulation against the cold
ocean temperature. A very, very thick built in wet
suit. But it's more than just
insulation. It also stores crucial energy
reserves for migrations or when food is scarce.
And interestingly, it even helpswith buoyancy.
So it makes diving and maneuvering a bit easier.
(03:41):
That's the idea, yeah. It helps control their position
in the water column. Yeah, something find really
curious, is there asymmetrical coloration that the right side
of their head is lighter than the left?
It sounds almost random. It does look that way at first
glance, doesn't it? It's one of nature's little
mysteries. Is there's a leading theory?
How might that actually benefit?Them Well, the exact purpose
(04:02):
isn't fully nailed down, but scientists have some strong
ideas. One prominent theory is that it
might play a role in confusing prey during their unique feeding
method. That big lunch feed?
Imagine them rolling onto their side as they lunge into a school
of fish. That flash of the lighter great
job might startle or disorient the prey momentarily.
(04:23):
Giving them that split second advantage.
Potentially, or it could even help in coordinating group
feeding efforts, maybe acting asa visual cue for other whales as
they maneuver. But you know, we're still
figuring out the details. Fascinating.
And beyond the visuals, they have other tools, right?
You mentioned they're breathing.Oh yes, they possess an
incredibly efficient respiratorysystem.
(04:45):
They can exchange a huge percentage of the air in their
lungs in a single breath. Which lets them stay down
longer. Exactly.
This allows them to stay submerged for typically 10 to 15
minutes on average, and they candive to impressive depths, often
over 200 meters, in search of those dense patches of food.
And those sounds, the communication.
(05:05):
Right. There's low frequency
vocalizations we touched on earlier.
They're not just sounds, they are truly powerful communication
signals. Yeah, because they're so low
frequency, the sound waves travel incredibly far
underwater. How far are we talking?
Potentially hundreds of kilometers.
Hundreds. That's genuinely mind boggling.
It makes you wonder what kind ofconversations are happening out
(05:26):
there across the entire ocean basins that we're barely even
aware. Of it really does, it highlights
how much we still have to learn about their social interactions
and how they navigate their world using sound.
So they're incredibly fast, built like a torpedo.
They've got this unique coloration, powerful
communication, but just surviving the temperatures day
in, day out, especially in polarregions.
(05:49):
How do they manage their body heat?
What are the thermal regulation secrets?
Well, that thick blubber layer we talked about is absolutely
crucial. It's a superb insulator like
that built in wetsuit. Right multilayered.
Multi centimeter thick, yeah, but there's more going on
internally. They have a clever adaptation
called the Countercurrent Heat Exchange System and their
circulatory system. OK, how does that work?
(06:10):
It's pretty neat. Basically, warm arterial blood
flowing out towards their extremities, like their flippers
and tail flukes which are less insulated, runs alongside the
cold venous blood returning to the body, for the heat from the
warm outgoing blood transfers tothe cold incoming blood, so it
effectively recycles and conserves precious body heat
before it gets lost to the cold water through the extremities.
(06:34):
Well, that's efficient engineering.
Nature is pretty good at engineering, and you know, their
sheer large body size itself also inherently helps reduce
heat loss. Bigger animals have a smaller
surface area relative to their volume, which means less area
for heat to escape. Simple physics, but effective.
Very effective. And then there are behavioral
(06:54):
strategies do like migrating to warmer waters during colder
seasons, particularly for breeding, that helps regulate
temperature as well. OK, and what about their
appearance throughout their lives?
Do they change much visually apart from just getting bigger,
say from a calf to a full grown adult?
They don't show significant seasonal changes in appearance
like some animals do with coats,but there are definite changes
(07:16):
as they mature. Like the size obviously.
Yeah, the size difference is immense.
Calves at birth are already quite substantial, around 6 to
6.5 meters long. Still huge.
Huge. But compare that to a full grown
adult possibly reaching 26 meters.
It's a massive scale. In the coloration.
Caves tend to have a more uniform, muted coloration.
(07:37):
Initially they developed that distinctive asymmetrical pattern
on the head, the lighter right side, as they grow older.
So it's not something they're born with necessarily.
It seems to develop as they mature.
Also, you generally won't find asignificant visual difference
between males and females. It's not like species with
obvious sexual dimorphism. But there is a size difference.
(07:58):
Yes, typically females are slightly longer than males,
maybe 5 to 10% longer on average.
It's a subtle but consistent difference.
Interesting. And geographically, are they all
the same? Not quite.
There are two generally recognized subspecies.
There's the Northern Hemisphere fin whale, Balaenoptera physalis
physalis, which you find in the North Atlantic and North
Pacific. And then there's the Southern
(08:21):
Hemisphere finale, Bellin OpturaPhysalis Koyu, found down in the
waters around Antarctica. Are they different?
The main difference noted is size of the Southern hemisphere
subspecies is generally larger on average.
It's likely an adaptation to thespecific conditions and prey
availability in the Antarctic ecosystem.
Right, adapting to different environments.
(08:41):
It's truly incredible how these animals are just perfectly built
for the lives they lead. They really are a testament to
evolution and the marine environment.
So let's talk about where they lead those lives, these ocean
giants with all these unique adaptations.
How do they actually navigate and thrive across such a vast
planet? Where do they call home, and
(09:01):
what keeps them fueled? Tell us about their global
distribution. Fin whales have a remarkably
broad geographic distribution. You can find them in all the
world's major oceans, really, from the poles down to tropical
regions. Now everywhere.
Pretty much everywhere there's ocean.
However, they are predominantly found in temperate and polar
waters. Those tend to be the more
productive areas with more. Food and they move around a lot,
(09:23):
right? Migrations.
Yes, that's a key insight into their lifestyle.
Most populations undertake significant seasonal migrations.
They typically move from high latitude feeding grounds.
Think Arctic or Antarctic watersin the summer.
Where the food is abundant. Exactly.
Lots of krill, lots of small fish during those productive
summer. Then they migrate to lower
(09:44):
latitude warmer waters for breeding in the winter.
OK, do they all do? That most do, but interestingly
some populations seem to be moreresident.
For example, the fin whales found in the Mediterranean Sea
appear to stay there year round and don't undertake those long
distance migrations. So there's variation.
What about their preferred spotswithin the ocean?
(10:06):
Deep water? Shallow.
Their preferences generally for deep offshore waters, often
beyond the edge of the continental shelf.
That's typically for the highestconcentrations of their prayer
found. Their distribution is heavily
influenced by where the food. Is makes sense.
You mentioned the North Atlantic, yeah.
Any specific areas there where you commonly find them, like
near Canada? Absolutely.
(10:27):
In the North Atlantic, they're very commonly observed off the
eastern coast of North America. The waters off Newfoundland and
Labrador, for instance, are known as prime feeding grounds
for fin whales. So right in our neighborhood,
relatively. Speaking exactly, those areas
often have large aggregations ofthe small fish they feed on,
especially during the summer. OK, So what exactly is on the
(10:50):
menu for these fast moving giants you mentioned Krill and
small. Fish.
That's right, Their diet primarily consists of small
schooling organisms in the NorthAtlantic.
Staples include fish like capelin, herring and sand Lance.
Things that gather in big groups.
Precisely that makes their feeding strategy, that Big Gulp
lunge feeding, much more efficient.
(11:11):
In the Southern Hemisphere, Antarctic krill becomes a much
more significant component of their diet.
It really reflects the differentprey available in different
ocean basins. And they use that lunge feeding
technique primarily. Yes, engulfing just vast volumes
of water and prey, then using the baleen to filter it all out.
It's energetic but very effective when prey is dense.
(11:32):
And does this hunt for food drive their migrations?
Directly, food availability is the primary driver behind their
seasonal migrations and the intensity of their feeding
efforts. They literally follow the food
supply across entire oceans. Incredible travelers.
So these massive creatures, 80 tons, 37 kilometers an hour,
they seem pretty invincible. Do they actually have any
(11:55):
natural predators? OHT Invincible is a strong word,
but they are formidable. Their size is definitely a major
deterrent. However, they do have one
primary natural predator, the orca or killer whale.
The apex predator of the. Ocean exactly.
Orcas, particularly certain populations that specialize in
hunting large whales, do occasionally target fin whales.
(12:16):
Do they go after the big adults?They can, but it's more common
for them to target vulnerable individuals, perhaps younger
whales, older sick ones, or maybe a whale It's gotten
separated from others. A coordinated pack of orcas can
take down an adult, but it's a significant effort and risk for
them. So how does a Finn well defend
itself other than just being huge?
Size and strength are the first line of defence.
(12:38):
Definitely just being that massive makes you difficult to
handle, but beyond that they're incredible.
Speed is a major advantage. That 37 kilometer.
Again, they can often simply outpace a potential threat if
they detect it early enough. They might also use powerful
tail slaps, or try to maneuver in ways that make it hard for
orcas to get a good position. OK, so they're hunters, their
(13:00):
prey sometimes. But beyond that, what role do
fin whales play in the bigger picture, in the whole marine
ecosystem? What's their?
Impact. They placed several absolutely
vital roles far beyond just eating and being eaten.
OK, firstly, by consuming truly enormous quantities of krill and
small fish, they act as crucial regulators of these pre
populations. They help keep those populations
(13:21):
in check, which maintains the balance of marine food webs.
Right, preventing anyone speciesfrom exploding.
Exactly. Secondly, and this is something
scientists are really understanding more and more, he
contributed significantly to what's known as the whale.
Pump, whale pump. What's that?
Sounds industrial. Huh.
A little, but it's entirely natural and incredibly
(13:41):
important. Think about it.
Fin whales often feed deep down in the water column, where
nutrients might be locked away, but they have to come to the
surface to breathe. And crucially, they often
defecate near the surface. OK, fertilizer.
Exactly. Their fecal plumes are rich in
essential nutrients like iron and nitrogen by releasing these
(14:03):
nutrients near the surface in the sunlit zone.
They're fertilizing the phytoplankton.
Precisely, they bring those nutrients up from the depths and
make them available to phytoplankton, which are the
tiny plant like organisms that form the absolute base of the
entire marine food web. Wow, so they're not just eating,
they're actively gardening the ocean.
Any other roles? Well, indirectly.
(14:24):
Their presence influences the behavior of other species, and
even after death, their carcasses provide a massive
input of organic matter to the deep sea floor, supporting
unique ecosystems there for decades.
That's another form of carbon sequestration, locking carbon
away in the deep ocean. Because their behavior change
much depending on where they are.
(14:45):
Yes, their behavior can certainly vary regionally.
For example, their specific feeding strategies might differ
depending on the type and density of prey available.
Social structures might also vary slightly between different
populations or areas they adapt.Always adapting.
OK, let's shift focus a bit fromthese giants of the ocean to the
next generation. Let's explore the life cycle of
(15:08):
the fin whale. How does reproduction work for
them? When's the breeding season?
The breeding season for fin whales typically occurs during
the winter months. The timing actually varies by
hemisphere, logically enough. Following the seasons.
Exactly. So for northern hemisphere fin
whales, breeding peaks generallyfrom November to January.
In the Southern Hemisphere, it'smore like June to September.
(15:31):
And why winter? This timing aligns perfectly
with their migration patterns. They move to warmer lower
latitude waters for breeding andcalving.
So the calves are born in warmerwaters, Safer.
Likely safer, yes. Calmer conditions may be fewer
editors concentrated there compared to the rich feeding
grounds, and warmer temperaturesare less stressful for a newborn
(15:51):
calf, even one that's already huge.
Makes sense. So walk us through the journey
from conception to old age. OK, gestation.
The pregnancy lasts quite a while, about 11 to 12 months.
Nearly a year. Then birth occurs in those
warmer waters we mentioned. The caves, as we said, are born
large, 6 to 6.5 metres long, weighing around 1800 kilograms.
(16:13):
Wow, a big baby. Very big baby.
They then nursed for about six to seven months and the mother's
milk is incredibly rich. Very high in fat content, over
40%. Fat for rapid growth.
Absolutely. This allows for truly rapid
growth. Caves can gain something like 90
kilograms a day during peak nursing. 90 kilos a day.
(16:34):
Incredible. It really is an interesting may
the mother and calf might actually begin their migration
back towards the feeding groundstogether while the calf is still
nursing. Taking the little one to the
buffet early. You could put it that way.
Once weaned, they entered the juvenile stage.
This is where they Start learning to forage
independently, often staying close to their mother or perhaps
joining small groups to pick up essential survival skills.
(16:55):
Navigation, feeding techniques, Predator avoidance.
How long does that last? They reach sexual maturity
somewhere between 6:00 and 12:00years of age.
By then, they're usually measuring around 18 to 20 meters
long. It's still growing, but ready to
reproduce. Exactly.
And as adults, they settle into that pattern of annual
migrations between feeding and breeding grounds.
(17:16):
And they can live a long time. How long?
A typical lifespan is estimated to be around 80 to 90 years,
potentially even longer for someindividuals.
Wow, that's a long life in the ocean.
So how do these majestic, often solitary creatures actually find
each other to mate across these vast ocean distances?
That comes back to those powerful vocalizations we
(17:37):
discussed. The primary method for made
attraction seems to rely on the low frequency songs produced by
the males. The sounds that travel hundreds
of kilometers. That's the one.
These powerful sounds can travelimmense distances underwater,
effectively advertising the males presence and perhaps as
fitness to potential mates. It might also play a role in
establishing dominance or spacing between competing males.
(17:59):
So the loudest singer gets the date.
It might not be quite that simple, but vocal prowess is
certainly key. What about parenting?
Is it just the mother? Yes, parenting is almost
entirely maternal care. In Fin Whales, the mother
provides everything for the cafeinitially that incredibly rich
milk, protection from potential predators, and she's the one who
(18:19):
teaches the calf essential survival.
Skills like how to find food, how to migrate.
Exactly navigation, identifying good foraging spots, how to
perform those complex feeding lunges, how to interact with
other whales. All learned from Mom.
And just to recap, the difference between young and old
size is obvious. Coloration changes, Yeah.
Anything else behaviorally? Size is the big one, yeah, 6
(18:41):
meters versus maybe 22 meters for an average adult.
The coloration is more muted in calves, developing that
asymmetry later. Behaviorally, juveniles often
appear more playful, perhaps exploratory, as they're still
learning. They are of course, highly
dependent on their mothers for many months for nutrition and
safety, or as adults are fully independent, focused on feeding
(19:02):
and reproduction. It's a long journey from calf to
venerable 90 year old giant. It certainly is filled with
immense challenges. Right.
And despite their resilience, their size, their speed, fin
whales aren't immune to threats,especially now.
What's their official conservation status?
Currently, the Fenwal is classified as vulnerable on the
IUCN list of threatened species.Vulnerable, so a high risk of
(19:26):
endangerment in the wild. That's what it signifies, yes.
And this status is largely a legacy of the past combined with
ongoing pressures. The past meaning whaling.
Exactly. Historically, fin whales were
heavily targeted by commercial whaling, especially during the
20th century after populations of other large whales like blue
and humpback had already declined.
(19:46):
They were fast, but technology caught up.
So their populations crashed. Dramatically, particularly here
in the North Atlantic and in theAntarctic, there are numbers
were reduced by, you know, probably over 70% Globally.
It was a massive, massive decline.
And although large scale commercial whaling stopped,
mostly they face new threats today, right?
(20:06):
Yes, the recovery is hammered bya range of significant
contemporary threats and these are primarily anthropogenic.
Human caused ship strikes are a major 1 collisions with large
vessels, especially in busy shipping.
Lanes like the North Atlantic, which is crisscrossed with.
Ships precisely the overlap between whale habitats,
migration routes and major shipping corridors creates a
(20:28):
high risk of fatal collisions. These often surface feeding or
resting whales. What else?
Entanglement in fishing gear is another serious problem.
Whales can get accidentally caught in Nets, lines, ropes or
traps set for fish or crustaceans.
And that can injure them or worse.
Both It can cause severe injuries, restrict their
movement, making it hard to feedor swim, lead to infection, and
(20:50):
ultimately cause drowning if they can't surface to breathe.
That sounds horrific. Then there's noise pollution.
The underwater world is becomingincreasingly noisy due to
shipping traffic, industrial activities like seismic surveys
for oil and gas sonar use. And thin wheels rely on sound.
Heavily for a communication, navigation, finding food,
(21:11):
finding mates, all of it. This constant barrage of
anthropogenic noise can mask their calls, disrupt their
behavior, cause chronic stress, and potentially even cause
physical harm at high intensities.
So we're basically drowning out their world.
In many areas, yes, that's a fair analogy.
And then overarching everything is climate change.
How does that impact? Them in multiple ways.
(21:32):
Climate change is altering oceantemperatures and currents.
This directly affects the distribution and abundance of
their prey. The krill and small fish are
shifting their ranges. So the whales have to follow or
starve. Essentially, yes.
It disrupts those established migration patterns and feeding
grounds. It also impacts sea ice
dynamics, particularly importantfor krill in polar regions, and
(21:55):
ocean acidification. Another consequence of increased
CO2 can affect the base of the food web, impacting everything.
Upwards, it's a cascade of effects.
It really is. And finally, we have pollution.
Chemical pollutants like heavy metals, pesticides, PCP's,
persistent organic pollutants can accumulate in their blubber
over their long lives. Affecting their health.
Yes, potentially impacting theirimmune systems, reproductive
(22:18):
success and overall health. And the issue of microplastic
pollution is also a growing concern.
Whales engulfing huge volumes ofwater are inevitably ingesting
plastics and the long term effects are still not fully
understood but are unlikely to be good.
Are there natural threats to. Disease.
Parasites. Oh yes, they face natural
threats like diseases, parasiteslike various worms and whale
(22:41):
lice, barnacles attaching of them.
But often the stress from anthropogenic factors,
pollution, noise, lack of food can make them more susceptible
to these natural threats. It's all interconnected.
It's a tough world out there forthem.
Now, this raises the crucial question, what is actually being
done to protect these incrediblewhales?
And maybe more importantly, how effective are these efforts
(23:03):
proving to be? Well, there are efforts on
multiple levels internationally.The biggest step was the
International Whaling Commissions IWC moratorium on
commercial whaling, which came into effect 1986.
That must have been huge for their recovery.
Absolutely pivotal. While some whaling does continue
under specific objections or special permits by a few
(23:24):
countries, the large scale industrial whaling that
decimated them was largely stopped.
That gave them breathing room. OK, what else?
Internationally. They are also listed on Appendix
US of sites, the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species. This prohibits international
trade in fin whale products, further reducing commercial
incentives. And on national or regional
(23:45):
levels? Many countries have implemented
national protections. Also see the establishment of
Marine Protected Areas or Mpas. Like marine parks?
Essentially, yes. Areas designated to protect
marine ecosystems. Places like the Stellwagen Bank
National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Massachusetts in
the US are examples. These MPA's can help by
(24:05):
regulating activities within their boundaries.
Like shipping or fishing? Exactly.
Measures might include reroutingshipping lanes away from
critical whale habitats, implementing speed restrictions
for vessels, or managing fisheries to reduce entanglement
risk. These can definitely help reduce
threats like ship strikes and gear entanglement and specific
important areas. What about tracking them?
(24:27):
Understanding they go. That's where research and
monitoring come in, and they're vital.
Scientists use advanced tools like satellite tagging to track
whale movements and understand migration.
Routes, seeing where they spend their.
Time precisely acoustic monitoring helps us understand
their vocalizations, population distribution, and the impact of
noise pollution. Photo identification using
(24:47):
unique markings on their dorsal fins or bodies allows
researchers to track individual whales over time, estimating
population sizes and survival. Rates so gathering the data
needed for effective conservation.
Exactly, And there are also specific efforts to mitigate
noise pollution, like developingquieter ship technologies or
adjusting the timing or locationof noisy activities like naval
(25:09):
exercises or seismic surveys. So are these efforts working?
Are fin whales recovering? It's a mixed picture, honestly.
These efforts certainly have hadpositive impacts.
There are definite signs of recovery in some populations,
particularly in parts of the North Atlantic and the Southern
Ocean, where numbers have increased since the whaling
moratorium. That's encouraging, but
(25:30):
significant challenges remain. Ships, strikes and entanglement
still major causes of mortality in many areas.
Noise pollution is pervasive, and the looming complex threat
of climate change is very difficult to address directly
through traditional conservationmeasures.
Plus, widespread pollution continues.
So while there's progress, the effectiveness varies and the
(25:50):
work is far, far from over. There are vulnerable status
reflects that ongoing risk. It sounds like a constant battle
on multiple fronts. So what does all this mean for
the future of the fin whale? And what are the big questions
scientists are still trying to answer about?
Them Well, for science, fin whales remain incredibly
important. They're not just magnificent
creatures in their own right, they serve as vital indicators
(26:12):
of overall ocean health. Studying them helps us
understand complex ecosystem dynamics, the impacts of climate
change, and the effectiveness ofour conservation action.
Well, our deep dive into the finwhale today has certainly
revealed a creature of just incredible adaptations that
speed the Belane the whale pump,such a crucial contributor to
ocean health and yet a species facing ongoing significant
(26:36):
challenges, so many of them human made.
That's the reality, isn't it? Thank you for joining us on this
deep dive into the world of the Fin Whale.
Keep that curiosity alive about the amazing creatures we share
this planet with, and we'll see you next time.
You're listening to a podcast from Moo Nature Documentaries.
Today we're plunging into the magnificent world of the fin
whale. A fantastic subject.
Absolutely. This incredible creature is
often celebrated as the greyhound of the sea or
incredibly, the second largest animal on Earth.
That's right, second only to theblue whale.
Still absolutely enormous. Our mission for this deep dive
(00:26):
is to uncover the surprising facts, the the absolutely
incredible adaptations, and the vital ecological role this
colossal creature plays in our oceans.
And the challenges too, right? We need to talk about those.
Definitely, We'll explore the significant challenges it faces
in our modern world. We're going to unpack why this
incredible animal holds such a crucial place in our oceans and
(00:48):
what it means for you. What's truly fascinating, and
maybe a good place to start, is how these giants defy their
immense size. They're not just big, they're
masters of efficiency and communication, navigating vast
ocean distances in ways where only just beginning to truly
understand, right. Imagine their unique speed and
(01:08):
those far reaching vocalizations.
They aren't just neat tricks, they are the very tools that
allow them to dominate their environment, to find food, find
mates. Survive.
So OK, let's get into that. With those astounding
capabilities, how do these incredible creatures manage to
be so successful in the vast cold ocean?
(01:30):
What are their secrets? Well, a lot of it comes down
their basic design, that streamlined body shape.
It's essentially a perfect torpedo.
Like biologically engineered forspeed?
Exactly. It allows them to slice through
the water at remarkable speeds, up to 37 kilometres per hour. 37
That truly makes them one of thefastest whales out there.
It does, and that's essential for covering huge distances,
(01:51):
chasing down schools of fish, that sort of thing.
That's incredibly fast for an animal that can be, what, 26
meters long? Up to 26 meters, yeah, way up to
80 tons. So moving that mask quickly is
quite an achievement. Mind blowing.
And then there were those easingbaleen plates.
Tell us about those. What's the genius behind that
system? The beline, yeah, it's central
to how they eat. Their whole feeding strategy.
(02:14):
These plates, they're made of keratin, basically the same
stuff as your fingernails. Really.
Yeah, and they hang down from the upper jaw, acting like this
enormous sieve or filter. So how does it work in practice?
Well, the whale takes in just a huge mouthful of water along
with whatever small praise, and it curls small fish.
Then it uses its massive tongue to push the water out through
(02:37):
the gaps in the baleen. The baleen plates crap the food
inside. Like a giant pasta strainer.
Kind of a very effective one. It's an incredibly efficient way
to gather the vast quantities oftiny food needed to sustain that
immense body. Makes sense.
Yeah, And you mentioned the sizeup to 80 tons.
That must help with more than just eating.
Oh absolutely. That sheer size is a massive
(02:58):
advantage in itself. It acts as a powerful deterrent
against most predators. Like orcas?
Primarily orcas, yes. While workers do sometimes hunt
them, tackling a full grown, healthy fin whale is a very
risky proposition even for them.Imagine and underneath the skin.
They live in cold waters often. Exactly.
They have a very thick blubber layer, many centimeters thick.
(03:21):
This provides essential insulation against the cold
ocean temperature. A very, very thick built in wet
suit. But it's more than just
insulation. It also stores crucial energy
reserves for migrations or when food is scarce.
And interestingly, it even helpswith buoyancy.
So it makes diving and maneuvering a bit easier.
(03:41):
That's the idea, yeah. It helps control their position
in the water column. Yeah, something find really
curious, is there asymmetrical coloration that the right side
of their head is lighter than the left?
It sounds almost random. It does look that way at first
glance, doesn't it? It's one of nature's little
mysteries. Is there's a leading theory?
How might that actually benefit?Them Well, the exact purpose
(04:02):
isn't fully nailed down, but scientists have some strong
ideas. One prominent theory is that it
might play a role in confusing prey during their unique feeding
method. That big lunch feed?
Imagine them rolling onto their side as they lunge into a school
of fish. That flash of the lighter great
job might startle or disorient the prey momentarily.
(04:23):
Giving them that split second advantage.
Potentially, or it could even help in coordinating group
feeding efforts, maybe acting asa visual cue for other whales as
they maneuver. But you know, we're still
figuring out the details. Fascinating.
And beyond the visuals, they have other tools, right?
You mentioned they're breathing.Oh yes, they possess an
incredibly efficient respiratorysystem.
(04:45):
They can exchange a huge percentage of the air in their
lungs in a single breath. Which lets them stay down
longer. Exactly.
This allows them to stay submerged for typically 10 to 15
minutes on average, and they candive to impressive depths, often
over 200 meters, in search of those dense patches of food.
And those sounds, the communication.
(05:05):
Right. There's low frequency
vocalizations we touched on earlier.
They're not just sounds, they are truly powerful communication
signals. Yeah, because they're so low
frequency, the sound waves travel incredibly far
underwater. How far are we talking?
Potentially hundreds of kilometers.
Hundreds. That's genuinely mind boggling.
It makes you wonder what kind ofconversations are happening out
(05:26):
there across the entire ocean basins that we're barely even
aware. Of it really does, it highlights
how much we still have to learn about their social interactions
and how they navigate their world using sound.
So they're incredibly fast, built like a torpedo.
They've got this unique coloration, powerful
communication, but just surviving the temperatures day
in, day out, especially in polarregions.
(05:49):
How do they manage their body heat?
What are the thermal regulation secrets?
Well, that thick blubber layer we talked about is absolutely
crucial. It's a superb insulator like
that built in wetsuit. Right multilayered.
Multi centimeter thick, yeah, but there's more going on
internally. They have a clever adaptation
called the Countercurrent Heat Exchange System and their
circulatory system. OK, how does that work?
(06:10):
It's pretty neat. Basically, warm arterial blood
flowing out towards their extremities, like their flippers
and tail flukes which are less insulated, runs alongside the
cold venous blood returning to the body, for the heat from the
warm outgoing blood transfers tothe cold incoming blood, so it
effectively recycles and conserves precious body heat
before it gets lost to the cold water through the extremities.
(06:34):
Well, that's efficient engineering.
Nature is pretty good at engineering, and you know, their
sheer large body size itself also inherently helps reduce
heat loss. Bigger animals have a smaller
surface area relative to their volume, which means less area
for heat to escape. Simple physics, but effective.
Very effective. And then there are behavioral
(06:54):
strategies do like migrating to warmer waters during colder
seasons, particularly for breeding, that helps regulate
temperature as well. OK, and what about their
appearance throughout their lives?
Do they change much visually apart from just getting bigger,
say from a calf to a full grown adult?
They don't show significant seasonal changes in appearance
like some animals do with coats,but there are definite changes
(07:16):
as they mature. Like the size obviously.
Yeah, the size difference is immense.
Calves at birth are already quite substantial, around 6 to
6.5 meters long. Still huge.
Huge. But compare that to a full grown
adult possibly reaching 26 meters.
It's a massive scale. In the coloration.
Caves tend to have a more uniform, muted coloration.
(07:37):
Initially they developed that distinctive asymmetrical pattern
on the head, the lighter right side, as they grow older.
So it's not something they're born with necessarily.
It seems to develop as they mature.
Also, you generally won't find asignificant visual difference
between males and females. It's not like species with
obvious sexual dimorphism. But there is a size difference.
(07:58):
Yes, typically females are slightly longer than males,
maybe 5 to 10% longer on average.
It's a subtle but consistent difference.
Interesting. And geographically, are they all
the same? Not quite.
There are two generally recognized subspecies.
There's the Northern Hemisphere fin whale, Balaenoptera physalis
physalis, which you find in the North Atlantic and North
Pacific. And then there's the Southern
(08:21):
Hemisphere finale, Bellin OpturaPhysalis Koyu, found down in the
waters around Antarctica. Are they different?
The main difference noted is size of the Southern hemisphere
subspecies is generally larger on average.
It's likely an adaptation to thespecific conditions and prey
availability in the Antarctic ecosystem.
Right, adapting to different environments.
(08:41):
It's truly incredible how these animals are just perfectly built
for the lives they lead. They really are a testament to
evolution and the marine environment.
So let's talk about where they lead those lives, these ocean
giants with all these unique adaptations.
How do they actually navigate and thrive across such a vast
planet? Where do they call home, and
(09:01):
what keeps them fueled? Tell us about their global
distribution. Fin whales have a remarkably
broad geographic distribution. You can find them in all the
world's major oceans, really, from the poles down to tropical
regions. Now everywhere.
Pretty much everywhere there's ocean.
However, they are predominantly found in temperate and polar
waters. Those tend to be the more
productive areas with more. Food and they move around a lot,
(09:23):
right? Migrations.
Yes, that's a key insight into their lifestyle.
Most populations undertake significant seasonal migrations.
They typically move from high latitude feeding grounds.
Think Arctic or Antarctic watersin the summer.
Where the food is abundant. Exactly.
Lots of krill, lots of small fish during those productive
summer. Then they migrate to lower
(09:44):
latitude warmer waters for breeding in the winter.
OK, do they all do? That most do, but interestingly
some populations seem to be moreresident.
For example, the fin whales found in the Mediterranean Sea
appear to stay there year round and don't undertake those long
distance migrations. So there's variation.
What about their preferred spotswithin the ocean?
(10:06):
Deep water? Shallow.
Their preferences generally for deep offshore waters, often
beyond the edge of the continental shelf.
That's typically for the highestconcentrations of their prayer
found. Their distribution is heavily
influenced by where the food. Is makes sense.
You mentioned the North Atlantic, yeah.
Any specific areas there where you commonly find them, like
near Canada? Absolutely.
(10:27):
In the North Atlantic, they're very commonly observed off the
eastern coast of North America. The waters off Newfoundland and
Labrador, for instance, are known as prime feeding grounds
for fin whales. So right in our neighborhood,
relatively. Speaking exactly, those areas
often have large aggregations ofthe small fish they feed on,
especially during the summer. OK, So what exactly is on the
(10:50):
menu for these fast moving giants you mentioned Krill and
small. Fish.
That's right, Their diet primarily consists of small
schooling organisms in the NorthAtlantic.
Staples include fish like capelin, herring and sand Lance.
Things that gather in big groups.
Precisely that makes their feeding strategy, that Big Gulp
lunge feeding, much more efficient.
(11:11):
In the Southern Hemisphere, Antarctic krill becomes a much
more significant component of their diet.
It really reflects the differentprey available in different
ocean basins. And they use that lunge feeding
technique primarily. Yes, engulfing just vast volumes
of water and prey, then using the baleen to filter it all out.
It's energetic but very effective when prey is dense.
(11:32):
And does this hunt for food drive their migrations?
Directly, food availability is the primary driver behind their
seasonal migrations and the intensity of their feeding
efforts. They literally follow the food
supply across entire oceans. Incredible travelers.
So these massive creatures, 80 tons, 37 kilometers an hour,
they seem pretty invincible. Do they actually have any
(11:55):
natural predators? OHT Invincible is a strong word,
but they are formidable. Their size is definitely a major
deterrent. However, they do have one
primary natural predator, the orca or killer whale.
The apex predator of the. Ocean exactly.
Orcas, particularly certain populations that specialize in
hunting large whales, do occasionally target fin whales.
(12:16):
Do they go after the big adults?They can, but it's more common
for them to target vulnerable individuals, perhaps younger
whales, older sick ones, or maybe a whale It's gotten
separated from others. A coordinated pack of orcas can
take down an adult, but it's a significant effort and risk for
them. So how does a Finn well defend
itself other than just being huge?
Size and strength are the first line of defence.
(12:38):
Definitely just being that massive makes you difficult to
handle, but beyond that they're incredible.
Speed is a major advantage. That 37 kilometer.
Again, they can often simply outpace a potential threat if
they detect it early enough. They might also use powerful
tail slaps, or try to maneuver in ways that make it hard for
orcas to get a good position. OK, so they're hunters, their
(13:00):
prey sometimes. But beyond that, what role do
fin whales play in the bigger picture, in the whole marine
ecosystem? What's their?
Impact. They placed several absolutely
vital roles far beyond just eating and being eaten.
OK, firstly, by consuming truly enormous quantities of krill and
small fish, they act as crucial regulators of these pre
populations. They help keep those populations
(13:21):
in check, which maintains the balance of marine food webs.
Right, preventing anyone speciesfrom exploding.
Exactly. Secondly, and this is something
scientists are really understanding more and more, he
contributed significantly to what's known as the whale.
Pump, whale pump. What's that?
Sounds industrial. Huh.
A little, but it's entirely natural and incredibly
(13:41):
important. Think about it.
Fin whales often feed deep down in the water column, where
nutrients might be locked away, but they have to come to the
surface to breathe. And crucially, they often
defecate near the surface. OK, fertilizer.
Exactly. Their fecal plumes are rich in
essential nutrients like iron and nitrogen by releasing these
(14:03):
nutrients near the surface in the sunlit zone.
They're fertilizing the phytoplankton.
Precisely, they bring those nutrients up from the depths and
make them available to phytoplankton, which are the
tiny plant like organisms that form the absolute base of the
entire marine food web. Wow, so they're not just eating,
they're actively gardening the ocean.
Any other roles? Well, indirectly.
(14:24):
Their presence influences the behavior of other species, and
even after death, their carcasses provide a massive
input of organic matter to the deep sea floor, supporting
unique ecosystems there for decades.
That's another form of carbon sequestration, locking carbon
away in the deep ocean. Because their behavior change
much depending on where they are.
(14:45):
Yes, their behavior can certainly vary regionally.
For example, their specific feeding strategies might differ
depending on the type and density of prey available.
Social structures might also vary slightly between different
populations or areas they adapt.Always adapting.
OK, let's shift focus a bit fromthese giants of the ocean to the
next generation. Let's explore the life cycle of
(15:08):
the fin whale. How does reproduction work for
them? When's the breeding season?
The breeding season for fin whales typically occurs during
the winter months. The timing actually varies by
hemisphere, logically enough. Following the seasons.
Exactly. So for northern hemisphere fin
whales, breeding peaks generallyfrom November to January.
In the Southern Hemisphere, it'smore like June to September.
(15:31):
And why winter? This timing aligns perfectly
with their migration patterns. They move to warmer lower
latitude waters for breeding andcalving.
So the calves are born in warmerwaters, Safer.
Likely safer, yes. Calmer conditions may be fewer
editors concentrated there compared to the rich feeding
grounds, and warmer temperaturesare less stressful for a newborn
(15:51):
calf, even one that's already huge.
Makes sense. So walk us through the journey
from conception to old age. OK, gestation.
The pregnancy lasts quite a while, about 11 to 12 months.
Nearly a year. Then birth occurs in those
warmer waters we mentioned. The caves, as we said, are born
large, 6 to 6.5 metres long, weighing around 1800 kilograms.
(16:13):
Wow, a big baby. Very big baby.
They then nursed for about six to seven months and the mother's
milk is incredibly rich. Very high in fat content, over
40%. Fat for rapid growth.
Absolutely. This allows for truly rapid
growth. Caves can gain something like 90
kilograms a day during peak nursing. 90 kilos a day.
(16:34):
Incredible. It really is an interesting may
the mother and calf might actually begin their migration
back towards the feeding groundstogether while the calf is still
nursing. Taking the little one to the
buffet early. You could put it that way.
Once weaned, they entered the juvenile stage.
This is where they Start learning to forage
independently, often staying close to their mother or perhaps
joining small groups to pick up essential survival skills.
(16:55):
Navigation, feeding techniques, Predator avoidance.
How long does that last? They reach sexual maturity
somewhere between 6:00 and 12:00years of age.
By then, they're usually measuring around 18 to 20 meters
long. It's still growing, but ready to
reproduce. Exactly.
And as adults, they settle into that pattern of annual
migrations between feeding and breeding grounds.
(17:16):
And they can live a long time. How long?
A typical lifespan is estimated to be around 80 to 90 years,
potentially even longer for someindividuals.
Wow, that's a long life in the ocean.
So how do these majestic, often solitary creatures actually find
each other to mate across these vast ocean distances?
That comes back to those powerful vocalizations we
(17:37):
discussed. The primary method for made
attraction seems to rely on the low frequency songs produced by
the males. The sounds that travel hundreds
of kilometers. That's the one.
These powerful sounds can travelimmense distances underwater,
effectively advertising the males presence and perhaps as
fitness to potential mates. It might also play a role in
establishing dominance or spacing between competing males.
(17:59):
So the loudest singer gets the date.
It might not be quite that simple, but vocal prowess is
certainly key. What about parenting?
Is it just the mother? Yes, parenting is almost
entirely maternal care. In Fin Whales, the mother
provides everything for the cafeinitially that incredibly rich
milk, protection from potential predators, and she's the one who
(18:19):
teaches the calf essential survival.
Skills like how to find food, how to migrate.
Exactly navigation, identifying good foraging spots, how to
perform those complex feeding lunges, how to interact with
other whales. All learned from Mom.
And just to recap, the difference between young and old
size is obvious. Coloration changes, Yeah.
Anything else behaviorally? Size is the big one, yeah, 6
(18:41):
meters versus maybe 22 meters for an average adult.
The coloration is more muted in calves, developing that
asymmetry later. Behaviorally, juveniles often
appear more playful, perhaps exploratory, as they're still
learning. They are of course, highly
dependent on their mothers for many months for nutrition and
safety, or as adults are fully independent, focused on feeding
(19:02):
and reproduction. It's a long journey from calf to
venerable 90 year old giant. It certainly is filled with
immense challenges. Right.
And despite their resilience, their size, their speed, fin
whales aren't immune to threats,especially now.
What's their official conservation status?
Currently, the Fenwal is classified as vulnerable on the
IUCN list of threatened species.Vulnerable, so a high risk of
(19:26):
endangerment in the wild. That's what it signifies, yes.
And this status is largely a legacy of the past combined with
ongoing pressures. The past meaning whaling.
Exactly. Historically, fin whales were
heavily targeted by commercial whaling, especially during the
20th century after populations of other large whales like blue
and humpback had already declined.
(19:46):
They were fast, but technology caught up.
So their populations crashed. Dramatically, particularly here
in the North Atlantic and in theAntarctic, there are numbers
were reduced by, you know, probably over 70% Globally.
It was a massive, massive decline.
And although large scale commercial whaling stopped,
mostly they face new threats today, right?
(20:06):
Yes, the recovery is hammered bya range of significant
contemporary threats and these are primarily anthropogenic.
Human caused ship strikes are a major 1 collisions with large
vessels, especially in busy shipping.
Lanes like the North Atlantic, which is crisscrossed with.
Ships precisely the overlap between whale habitats,
migration routes and major shipping corridors creates a
(20:28):
high risk of fatal collisions. These often surface feeding or
resting whales. What else?
Entanglement in fishing gear is another serious problem.
Whales can get accidentally caught in Nets, lines, ropes or
traps set for fish or crustaceans.
And that can injure them or worse.
Both It can cause severe injuries, restrict their
movement, making it hard to feedor swim, lead to infection, and
(20:50):
ultimately cause drowning if they can't surface to breathe.
That sounds horrific. Then there's noise pollution.
The underwater world is becomingincreasingly noisy due to
shipping traffic, industrial activities like seismic surveys
for oil and gas sonar use. And thin wheels rely on sound.
Heavily for a communication, navigation, finding food,
(21:11):
finding mates, all of it. This constant barrage of
anthropogenic noise can mask their calls, disrupt their
behavior, cause chronic stress, and potentially even cause
physical harm at high intensities.
So we're basically drowning out their world.
In many areas, yes, that's a fair analogy.
And then overarching everything is climate change.
How does that impact? Them in multiple ways.
(21:32):
Climate change is altering oceantemperatures and currents.
This directly affects the distribution and abundance of
their prey. The krill and small fish are
shifting their ranges. So the whales have to follow or
starve. Essentially, yes.
It disrupts those established migration patterns and feeding
grounds. It also impacts sea ice
dynamics, particularly importantfor krill in polar regions, and
(21:55):
ocean acidification. Another consequence of increased
CO2 can affect the base of the food web, impacting everything.
Upwards, it's a cascade of effects.
It really is. And finally, we have pollution.
Chemical pollutants like heavy metals, pesticides, PCP's,
persistent organic pollutants can accumulate in their blubber
over their long lives. Affecting their health.
Yes, potentially impacting theirimmune systems, reproductive
(22:18):
success and overall health. And the issue of microplastic
pollution is also a growing concern.
Whales engulfing huge volumes ofwater are inevitably ingesting
plastics and the long term effects are still not fully
understood but are unlikely to be good.
Are there natural threats to. Disease.
Parasites. Oh yes, they face natural
threats like diseases, parasiteslike various worms and whale
(22:41):
lice, barnacles attaching of them.
But often the stress from anthropogenic factors,
pollution, noise, lack of food can make them more susceptible
to these natural threats. It's all interconnected.
It's a tough world out there forthem.
Now, this raises the crucial question, what is actually being
done to protect these incrediblewhales?
And maybe more importantly, how effective are these efforts
(23:03):
proving to be? Well, there are efforts on
multiple levels internationally.The biggest step was the
International Whaling Commissions IWC moratorium on
commercial whaling, which came into effect 1986.
That must have been huge for their recovery.
Absolutely pivotal. While some whaling does continue
under specific objections or special permits by a few
(23:24):
countries, the large scale industrial whaling that
decimated them was largely stopped.
That gave them breathing room. OK, what else?
Internationally. They are also listed on Appendix
US of sites, the Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species. This prohibits international
trade in fin whale products, further reducing commercial
incentives. And on national or regional
(23:45):
levels? Many countries have implemented
national protections. Also see the establishment of
Marine Protected Areas or Mpas. Like marine parks?
Essentially, yes. Areas designated to protect
marine ecosystems. Places like the Stellwagen Bank
National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of Massachusetts in
the US are examples. These MPA's can help by
(24:05):
regulating activities within their boundaries.
Like shipping or fishing? Exactly.
Measures might include reroutingshipping lanes away from
critical whale habitats, implementing speed restrictions
for vessels, or managing fisheries to reduce entanglement
risk. These can definitely help reduce
threats like ship strikes and gear entanglement and specific
important areas. What about tracking them?
(24:27):
Understanding they go. That's where research and
monitoring come in, and they're vital.
Scientists use advanced tools like satellite tagging to track
whale movements and understand migration.
Routes, seeing where they spend their.
Time precisely acoustic monitoring helps us understand
their vocalizations, population distribution, and the impact of
noise pollution. Photo identification using
(24:47):
unique markings on their dorsal fins or bodies allows
researchers to track individual whales over time, estimating
population sizes and survival. Rates so gathering the data
needed for effective conservation.
Exactly, And there are also specific efforts to mitigate
noise pollution, like developingquieter ship technologies or
adjusting the timing or locationof noisy activities like naval
(25:09):
exercises or seismic surveys. So are these efforts working?
Are fin whales recovering? It's a mixed picture, honestly.
These efforts certainly have hadpositive impacts.
There are definite signs of recovery in some populations,
particularly in parts of the North Atlantic and the Southern
Ocean, where numbers have increased since the whaling
moratorium. That's encouraging, but
(25:30):
significant challenges remain. Ships, strikes and entanglement
still major causes of mortality in many areas.
Noise pollution is pervasive, and the looming complex threat
of climate change is very difficult to address directly
through traditional conservationmeasures.
Plus, widespread pollution continues.
So while there's progress, the effectiveness varies and the
(25:50):
work is far, far from over. There are vulnerable status
reflects that ongoing risk. It sounds like a constant battle
on multiple fronts. So what does all this mean for
the future of the fin whale? And what are the big questions
scientists are still trying to answer about?
Them Well, for science, fin whales remain incredibly
important. They're not just magnificent
creatures in their own right, they serve as vital indicators
(26:12):
of overall ocean health. Studying them helps us
understand complex ecosystem dynamics, the impacts of climate
change, and the effectiveness ofour conservation action.
Well, our deep dive into the finwhale today has certainly
revealed a creature of just incredible adaptations that
speed the Belane the whale pump,such a crucial contributor to
ocean health and yet a species facing ongoing significant
(26:36):
challenges, so many of them human made.
That's the reality, isn't it? Thank you for joining us on this
deep dive into the world of the Fin Whale.
Keep that curiosity alive about the amazing creatures we share
this planet with, and we'll see you next time.
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