WoRMS taxon details

Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758)

137091  (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:137091)

accepted
Species
Balaena antipodarum Tomilin, 1957 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaena antiquorum Fischer, 1829 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaena boops Linnaeus, 1758 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaena maximus borealis Knox, 1838 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaena mysticetus major Kerr, 1792 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaena physalis Kerr, 1792 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaena physalus Linnaeus, 1758 · unaccepted (basionym)
Balaena quoyi Fischer, 1829 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaena sulcata Neill, 1811 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaenoptera antarctica Gray, 1846 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaenoptera australis Gray, 1846 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaenoptera blythii Anderson, 1879 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaenoptera brasiliensis Gray, 1846 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaenoptera gibbar Lacépède, 1804 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaenoptera mediterranensis Cabrera, 1961 · unaccepted (misspelling)
Balaenoptera patagonica Dabbene, 1902 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaenoptera quoyii Lonnberg, 1906 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaenoptera rorqual Lacépède, 1804 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaenoptera sulcata · alternative representation
Balaenoptera swinhoii Gray, 1866 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaenoptera velifera Cope, 1869 · unaccepted (synonym)
Balaenopteris guibusdam Tomilin, 1957 · unaccepted (synonym)
Benedenia knoxii Gray, 1864 · unaccepted (synonym)
Dubertus rhodinsulensis Tomilin, 1957 · unaccepted (synonym)
Physalis vulgaris Fleming, 1828 · unaccepted (synonym)
Physalus antarcticus Gray, 1850 · unaccepted (synonym)
Physalus australis Gray, 1850 · unaccepted (synonym)
Physalus brasiliensis Gray, 1850 · unaccepted (synonym)
Physalus dugundii Heddle, 1856 · unaccepted (synonym)
Physalus fasciatus Gray, 1850 · unaccepted (synonym)
Physalus verus Billberg, 1828 · unaccepted (synonym)
Pterobalaena gigantea · alternative representation
Rorqualus musculus F. Cuvier, 1836 · unaccepted (synonym)
Sibbaldius tectirostris Cope, 1869 · unaccepted (synonym)
Sibbaldius tuberosus Cope, 1869 · unaccepted (synonym)
Swinhoia chinensis Gray, 1868 · unaccepted (synonym)

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marine, terrestrial
(of Balaena physalus Linnaeus, 1758) Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. <em>Editio decima, reformata [10th revised edition], vol. 1: 824 pp. Laurentius Salvius: Holmiae.</em> , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 75 [details]  Available for editors  PDF available [request] 
Note "Oceano Europaeo," specifically the...  
From editor or global species database
Type locality "Oceano Europaeo," specifically the Spitzbergen Sea [details]
Distribution in all oceans  
Distribution in all oceans [details]

Distribution Antarctica/Southern Ocean; East Pacific; Eastern Atlantic Ocean; Indo-West Pacific; Western Atlantic Ocean  
Distribution Antarctica/Southern Ocean; East Pacific; Eastern Atlantic Ocean; Indo-West Pacific; Western Atlantic Ocean [details]
Fordyce, E.; Perrin, W.F. (2024). World Cetacea Database. Balaenoptera physalus (Linnaeus, 1758). Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=137091 on 2024-03-19
Date
action
by
2004-12-21 15:54:05Z
created
2008-08-20 11:25:36Z
checked

Creative Commons License The webpage text is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License


original description  (of Balaena boops Linnaeus, 1758) Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. <em>Editio decima, reformata [10th revised edition], vol. 1: 824 pp. Laurentius Salvius: Holmiae.</em> , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886 [details]  Available for editors  PDF available [request] 

original description  (of Balaena physalus Linnaeus, 1758) Linnaeus, C. (1758). Systema Naturae per regna tria naturae, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. <em>Editio decima, reformata [10th revised edition], vol. 1: 824 pp. Laurentius Salvius: Holmiae.</em> , available online at https://biodiversitylibrary.org/page/726886
page(s): 75 [details]  Available for editors  PDF available [request] 

basis of record van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, <B><I>in</I></B>: Costello, M.J. <i>et al.</i> (Ed.) (2001). <i>European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels,</i> 50: pp. 375-376 (look up in IMIS[details]   

additional source Carwardine, M., E. Hoyt, R. E. Fordyce and P. Gill. 1998. Whales, dolphins and porpoises. Time-Life Books. Nature Company Guides, USA. 288 p. [details]   

additional source Thomas, M. L. H. (1983). Marine and coastal systems of the Quoddy Region, New Brunswick. <em>Canadian Special Publication of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences.</em> 64:1-306. [details]  Available for editors  PDF available [request] 

additional source Muller, Y. (2004). Faune et flore du littoral du Nord, du Pas-de-Calais et de la Belgique: inventaire. [Coastal fauna and flora of the Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Belgium: inventory]. <em>Commission Régionale de Biologie Région Nord Pas-de-Calais: France.</em> 307 pp., available online at http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/145561.pdf [details]   

additional source Mead, J. G.; Brownell, R. L. Jr. (2005). Cetacea. <em>In Wilson, D.E. & D.M. Reeder (eds). Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp.</em> 723--743., available online at http://www.bucknell.edu/msw3/ [details]   

additional source Rice, D. W. (1998). Marine mammals of the world. Systematics and distribution. <em>Society for Marine Mammalogy Special Publication.</em> 4., available online at http://www.marinemammalscience.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/MarineMammalsOfTheWorld.pdf [details]   

additional source Hershkovitz, P. (1966). Catalog of Living Whales. <em>Bulletin of the United States National Museum.</em> (246): 1-259., available online at https://doi.org/10.5479/si.03629236.246 [details]   

additional source Jefferson, T. A., M. A. Webber and R. L. Pitman. (2008). Marine mammals of the world. Academic Press, Amsterdam. [details]   

additional source IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, available online at http://www.iucnredlist.org [details]   

additional source Perrin, W.F.; Würsig, B.; Thewissen, J.G.M. (2009). Encyclopedia of marine mammals. Second edition. Academic Press: London. ISBN 978-0-12-373553-9. xxix, 1316 pp. (look up in IMIS[details]   

additional source King, C.M.; Roberts, C.D.; Bell, B.D.; Fordyce, R.E.; Nicoll, R.S.; Worthy, T.H.; Paulin, C.D.; Hitchmough, R.A.; Keyes, I.W.; Baker, A.N.; Stewart, A.L.; Hiller, N.; McDowall, R.M.; Holdaway, R.N.; McPhee, R.P.; Schwarzhans, W.W.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Rust, S.; Macadie, I. (2009). Phylum Chordata: lancelets, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals. <em>in: Gordon, D.P. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: 1. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia.</em> pp. 431-554. [details]   

additional source Schmidly, D. J. and B. Würsig. 2009. Mammals (Vertebrata: Mammalia) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 1343–1352 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas. [details]   

additional source Liu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. <em>China Science Press.</em> 1267 pp. (look up in IMIS[details]  Available for editors  PDF available [request] 

additional source Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS). , available online at http://www.itis.gov [details]   

ecology source Looby, A.; Erbe, C.; Bravo, S.; Cox, K.; Davies, H. L.; Di Iorio, L.; Jézéquel, Y.; Juanes, F.; Martin, C. W.; Mooney, T. A.; Radford, C.; Reynolds, L. K.; Rice, A. N.; Riera, A.; Rountree, R.; Spriel, B.; Stanley, J.; Vela, S.; Parsons, M. J. G. (2023). Global inventory of species categorized by known underwater sonifery. <em>Scientific Data.</em> 10(1). (look up in IMIS), available online at https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-023-02745-4 [details]  OpenAccess publication 
 
 Present  Present in aphia/obis/gbif/idigbio   Inaccurate  Introduced: alien  Containing type locality 
   

From editor or global species database
Holotype None; based primarily on the "finfish" of Martens (1675) [details]

IUCN Red List Category Endangered (EN) [details]

Morphology Distinguishing characteristics: white lower jaw on right, gray on left. Blow readily visible-10 m(33') tall, straight column. Curved dorsal fin closer to tail. light grey with white belly, occasional blotches of orange/yellow, blaze or chevron extending from eye across back. Fin and blue whales have the deepest, loudest voices in the ocean, letting them communicate over great distances. Second largest living animal after the blue whale. [details]

Predators Killer whale (Orcinus orca) [details]

Reproduction Calving: December to April in Northern Hemisphere, austral winter in Southern Hemisphere, in unknown localities; Weaning: 1 year [details]

Type locality "Oceano Europaeo," specifically the Spitzbergen Sea [details]

From other sources
Diet schooling fish, euphasiids and other invetebrates, copepods (when young), squid [details]

Dimensions Length: male 58-82' (17.7-25 m), female 60-88 1/2' (18.3-27 m), at birth 19 1/2' + (5.9 m+) [details]

Distribution in all oceans [details]

Distribution Antarctica/Southern Ocean; East Pacific; Eastern Atlantic Ocean; Indo-West Pacific; Western Atlantic Ocean [details]

Habitat mostly offshore but also near the coast [details]

Importance In the North-West Atlantic region, it is the dominant large cetacean species in all seasons, with the largest standing stock, the largest food requirements, and therefore the largest impact on the ecosystem of any cetacean species. [details]
LanguageName 
Afrikaans vinwalvis  [details]
Aleut mangidakhmangidadakh  [details]
Arabic harcul chaii  [details]
Bulgarian ФинвалСин кит [from synonym]sin kit [from synonym]finvаl  [details]
Catalan rorqual comú  [details]
Chukot niltkhokkein uiiutnilchoken biuu  [details]
Croatian veliki kit  [details]
Czech plejtvák myšok  [details]
Danish Silde-Rorenfinhvalblåhval [from synonym]  [details]
Dutch vinvisgewone vinvisblauwe vinvis [from synonym]  [details]
English razor backherring whalefinnerfinback whalefin whalecommon rorqualcommon finwhalecommon finback whaleblue whale [from synonym]big finner  [details]
French vraie baleinerorqual communbaleine bleue [from synonym]baleine américaine  [details]
German SchnabelwalSchanelwal [from synonym]Riesenwal [from synonym]FinnwalFinnfischBlauwal [from synonym]  [details]
Hebrew לויתן ענק [from synonym]לויתן מצוילווייתן מצויlivyatan matzui  [details]
Icelandic sildrekisildreklangreydurhunfubaksfurehvalerfinnhvaler  [details]
Indonesian paus sirip  [details]
Italian rorqualororquallororqual comunebalenottera fisallobalenottera comunebalenottera azzurra [from synonym]  [details]
Japanese ナガスクジラnagasu kujira  [details]
Kalaallisut tunnolikkeporkarnak  [details]
Korean cham-gorae  [details]
Koryak vapakylichan  [details]
Lithuanian mėlynasis banginis [from synonym]finvalas  [details]
Malagasy trozona amam-bombo  [details]
Maltese baliena mbacca  [details]
Modern Greek (1453-) ΠτεροφάλαιναΓαλάζια φάλαινα [from synonym]pterofálaina  [details]
Norwegian stor-hvalsildrörsildehvalrorenloddehvalfinqvalfinnhvalfinhvalfinefiskblåhval [from synonym]  [details]
Norwegian Bokmål finnhvalblåhval [from synonym]  [details]
Norwegian Nynorsk finnkvalblåkval [from synonym]  [details]
Polish płetwal błękitny [from synonym]finwal  [details]
Portuguese baleia-finabaleia-comum  [details]
Russian финвалсельдяной киткит синий [from synonym]seldianoi polosatikobyknovennyi polosatiknastoiashchiy polosatikfinval  [details]
Sami languages reider  [details]
Slovenian sinji kit [from synonym]brazdasti kit  [details]
Spanish rorcual de aletarorcual comúnrorcual azul [from synonym]kilaballena fisalusballena finballena de aletaballena boba  [details]
Swedish sillvalsillhvalrörvalfinnfiskblåval [from synonym]  [details]
Turkish uzun balinagök balinası [from synonym]gök balina [from synonym]fin balinasıfin balinasi  [details]
Ukrainian ФінвалСмугастик Брайда [from synonym]Синій кит [from synonym]Кит синій [from synonym]  [details]
Welsh morfil asgellog llwydmorfil asgellog glas [from synonym]  [details]
Yupik languages tykyshkok  [details]