The largest and heaviest animal on Earth is the blue whale– Regular readers of our site should be well aware of this. Their body length is up to 33 meters, and their weight can reach 150 tons. For many years, these creatures were the subject of whaling: people hunted them for blubber, meat, baleen, liver and brain. This has led to a sharp decline in the number of whales on Earth, so many countries have decided to abandon this business to preserve the animal population. The hunting ban also applied to other species of whales, including fin whales, the second largest animals in the world. Recently, Japan reopened the hunt for these creatures, and this has caused great discontent among conservationists.
Fin whales are very close relatives of blue whales
Interesting fact:< /strong>For many centuries, people hunted whales for their liquid blubber, which was used as fuel in industry. In the second half of the 20th century, people began to be interested in whales for meat to make sausage. From whalebone, the horny plates in the mouths of whales, people made expensive upholstery for furniture.
Contents
- 1 Who are fin whales
- 2 The largest animals in the world after blue whales
- 3 How whales live in the ocean
- 4 Why whales cannot be hunted
- 5 Which countries hunt whales
Who are they fin whales
Fin whales, which are also known asMinke whales(Balaenoptera physalus) are very close relatives of blue whales. They are so similar in appearance and even at the genetic level that their hybrids can be found in nature. This means that fin whales and blue whales sometimes mate and produce healthy offspring. But at the same time they are representatives of two different species.
Fin whales became known to science in 1675. Image source: sketchfab.com
The largest animals in the world after blue whales
Mine whales are the second largest animals on Earth, after blue whales. Their body length can reach 27 meters, and usually females are larger than males. Despite this difference between the sexes, their body weight is approximately the same and reaches 70 tons. Outwardly, they are similar to blue whales, but the body has a more slender shape.
Fin whales are similar to blue whales, except for a few differences. Photo source: chudo-prirody.com
Read also:Whales have begun to die en masse in the USA, and scientists don’t know why
How whales live in the ocean< /h2>
Fin whales live in all of the Earth's oceans, but stay away from coastal regions. In the summer, they swim closer to the cold waters of the Arctic and Antarctic to get food there. With the onset of winter, these creatures rush to warmer latitudes to mate and give birth to new offspring. Their swimming speed reaches 50 kilometers per hour, and if necessary, they can dive to depths of up to 230 meters. Underwater, without air, they can last about 15 minutes.
For the most part, fin whales are solitary animals. Photo source: dannykesslerphotography.com
Most fin whales live alone, but there are also individuals that prefer living in groups of up to six individuals. They are usually engaged in foraging – they eat both small crustaceans and relatively large fish. Fin whales eat up to 2 tons of food per day. The life span of fin whales reaches 90 years.
Why whales cannot be hunted
Unlike blue whales, fin whales have had no enemies for many centuries. The biggest threat to whales is usually humans, but since fin whales always stay far offshore, they were difficult to reach.
Whale hunting is prohibited in many countries to preserve their population. Image source: guidetoiceland.is
But with the development of technology, hunting them became possible, and people exterminated many animals of this species. According to statistics, in 1938, 28 thousand fin whales were killed in the Southern Hemisphere of the Earth. To stop the extermination of minke whales, in 1982 the International Whaling Commission (IWC) decided to completely ban hunting on them.
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Which countries hunt whales
Japan recently re-added fin whales to its list of commercial whaling species. With the species still endangered, advocates say the decision is a big step backwards. If the hunt is successful, and there is little doubt that this will happen, the population of these whales may decline again, and the progress made in conservation of the animals will come to naught.
Whaling industry in Japan. Image source: rg.ru
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The only people who have never been prohibited from hunting whales are the residents of Chukotka. But it is important to note that they can only engage in whaling for non-commercial purposes. They were given this permission because they live off the coast of the Bering Sea, and in such harsh conditions this is one of the most affordable ways to survive. Whale hunting is a dangerous activity for these people because they do not use huge ships, but homemade boats. We strongly recommend reading the article about this “How the Chukchi hunt whales – a deadly fishery at the ends of the Earth.”