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| At over 80 feet in length the
Fin Whale is the second largest animal in the world. The spout of a Fin
Whale can reach almost 20 feet in height, announcing the presence of
these animals for many miles on a calm day. The splash guard and two
huge blow holes are often the first thing to break the water as these
animals surface to breathe. There is a single ridge extending from the
tip of the rostrum to the splash guard They do breach and spy-hop, but
not very often. |
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| From a distance these whales
can be difficult to identify since they are easily confused with Blue,
Sei, and Bryde’s Whales. The best field diagnostic to identify Fin
Whales from all other rorquals is the asymmetrical coloration of the
head. The lower right side of a Fin Whales head is white; the left side
is uniformly dark. The image above and on the left shows the difference
in coloration. The dorsal fin and the grayish white chevron pattern
behind the head are often used for individual identification. |
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| In the Gulf of California huge
plankton blooms are abundant near the surface of the middle and upper
Gulf of California. Fin Whales can be found surface lunge feeding on
these plankton blooms. These animals will often feed in pairs or even
three at a time. They will roll onto their right sides (with the white
coloration pointed down) and expand their mouths and throat pleats to
encompass a huge amount of water and plankton. It is such an odd sight
to see these huge animals “mowing” plankton at the surface, their mouths
open unbelievable wide, their left pectoral fin straight up in the air,
followed by their left fluke swishing slowly back and forth as it drives
these huge animals through their prey.
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Being near these huge animals
in a small boat really gives a good sense as to the size of a Fin Whale,
but there is always part of the whale that it underwater at any given
time. Finding a large whale dead on a beach allows you to truly
understand the immensity of the Fin Whale. This image is of a skeleton
from a dead whale found in the upper Gulf of California. It is probably
a Fin Whale, though the identification is not 100%.
TIPS FOR FIN WHALE PHOTOS: These animals are nicknamed the
“Greyhounds” of the sea and if you are ever following one you will know
why. They are capable of bursts of speed approaching 20 mph. Even when
just traveling from plankton bloom to plankton bloom they can be fast!
The good news is that they do slow down to feed and there are times when
their course is very predictable. In my experience Fin Whales are
neither attracted to, nor bothered by, a boat that is running a
parallel-course to their own. If you stay beside and slightly behind
them then they will continue to do their own thing. I have used every
lens in my case with Fin Whales, best to set up with a long telephoto
(300mm plus) and a medium range zoom (70mm-200mm). At times you can use
a slower film (ISO 50) to capture surfacing or resting animals. When
feeding or lunging you will need at least an ISO of 100 for the added
depth of field and shutter speed combination. |
