Species guide
Fin whale
Balaenoptera physalus
At a glance
Conservation, taxonomy and Madeira records reviewed . Review sources.
- Global IUCN conservation status
- Vulnerable — assessment published .
Global extinction risk is separate from sighting frequency in Madeira.
- Identification
- Very large, elongated, dark-grey to brownish-black body with whitish undersides
- Flattish V shaped head with narrow longitudinal ridge and asymmetrical pigmentation
- Size
- Maximum length: 27 meters
- Recorded occurrence in Madeira
- Reported on local trips, including July 2026.
- Madeira records and season
- Research indicates a winter/spring tendency; sightings also occur outside this period.
Identification and size summarize profile notes updated . Local records are past observations, not a prediction of sightings.
Read the identification notes ↓- Taxonomic authority
- (Linnaeus, 1758)
- Family
- Balaenopteridae
- Cetacean group
- Mysticeti
Sightings in Madeira
Our July 2026 trip report lists this species. This is an operator observation, not a population estimate.
Research indicates a winter/spring tendency; sightings also occur outside this period. Madeira habitat research. Modelled habitat suitability describes environmental conditions, not the probability of seeing an animal on a trip.
ID characteristics
Very large, elongated, dark-grey to brownish-black body with whitish undersides
Flattish V shaped head with narrow longitudinal ridge and asymmetrical pigmentation
Short, dorsal fin with shape and angle very variable
Surface behaviour
Can be a slower swimmer when in leisure but one of the fastest reaching 16 knots (30km/h)
When surfacing head comes out of the water first with blow and rear body appears, arched, after head is underwater. Rarely shows flukes when diving.
Distribution
Worldwide, mainly in deep offshore waters at temperate latitudes and southern hemisphere though its separate populations may be all the way to 80º North and 80º South.
Social
3 to 7 individuals
Diet
Krill, crustaceans, fish and squid
Biometrics
Max length: 27 meters
Adult weight: 30 to 80 ton
Blow
Vertical, occasionally cone shaped, up to 6 meters high
Common names in other languages
- Portuguese: Baleia-comum, Baleia-fin, Rorqual-comum
- German: Finnwal
- French: Baleine à nageoires, Baleine fin, Baleinoptère commune, Rorqual commun
- Spanish: Rorcual Común, Ballena de Aleta
- Italian: Balenottera comune
- Dutch: gewone vinvis
- Polish: Finwal
- Swedish: Sillval
- Danish: Finhval
- Norwegian: Finnkval, Finnhval
Other English names
Common Rorqual, Finback whale, Razorback Whale
Names vary by language and region. This list is not exhaustive. Multilingual name records.
Review sources
Conservation, taxonomy, local occurrence and seasonality checked on . The assessment publication year is separate from this editorial review date. Identification, size, other biology notes and multilingual aliases are outside this review unless a specific source is cited alongside them.
- IUCN Red List: Balaenoptera physalus — global species assessment, published 2018.
- Society for Marine Mammalogy: species and subspecies list (April 2026) — Scientific names, authorities, families and English names. Mysticeti and Odontoceti are treated as unranked groups.
- IUCN SSC Cetacean Specialist Group: Red List status of cetaceans — Global species categories cross-checked against the specialist group's overview, updated October 2025. Regional and subpopulation assessments are separate.
- IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group: November 2018 assessments — Global assessment publication years and category changes. A category change need not indicate a recent population change.
- Freitas et al. (2012): New records of cetacean species for Madeira Archipelago with an updated checklist — Table 1 and species accounts distinguish sightings, catches and strandings. Record totals and last-record dates describe evidence available through December 2012.
- Fernandez et al. (2021): Modeling fine-scale cetacean distributions in Madeira — Models based on observations from 2003–2018. Seasonal habitat suitability is not a forecast of sightings or proof that animals are absent in other months.
The linked trip reports document operator observations. They do not independently confirm every identification or measure population size, abundance or the probability of a sighting.