Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin (ISSN 0178 – 6288) . Number 119, November 2014, pp. 1-13. | Page 7

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also colored this way! Fin whales also have a pale V-shape behind their head
(Ocean Institute).
Fin whales rarely show their flukes (tails). However, they are known to breach,
or come out of the water, splashing down on their sides in a spectacular display.
Fin whales are indifferent to boats and will rarely approach or show curiosity. It
was reported that one fin whale decided to scratch its back on the bottom of the
Sea Explorer one day - to the delight and surprise of passengers and crew! Like
other rorquals, the fin whale is thought to migrate to cooler waters in the
summer time and warmer waters in the winter time. There is a resident
population in the Gulf of California (Ocean Institute).
Fin whales are more sociable than other rorqual whales. They are often found in
small pods of 3-7 whales (Chapter 10: Whales and Whaling).
Like blue whales, fin whales use low frequency calls to communicate with other
fin whales over long distances (Ocean Institute).

Human Impact
Hunting fin whales was banned in 1986. Fin whales, like other rorquals, were not
hunted until the early 20th century because of their great speed. It took the
mechanization of boats and harpoons for whalers to be able to capture fin
whales. When blue whales became depleted, whalers switched to fin whales.
Because they are slow growing, and slow to reproduce, their populations are
slow to rebound. A few whales are taken each year by local populations in
Greenland and for scientific purposes (Ocean Institute).

Ropes was found in the mouth of the 14-meter Fin Whale (Balaenoptera physalus
Linnaeus, 1758) which was stranded on the Kuwaiti Failaka Island on Friday 28.02.2014.
http://alwatan.kuwait.tt/ArticleDetails.aspx?Id=341175&YearQuarter=20141

Gazelle : The Palestinian Biological Bulletin – Number 119 – November 2014