fin whale

A large baleen whale (Balaenoptera physalus) having grooves on the throat, a prominent dorsal fin, and a whitish underside. Also called finback, razorback.

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

fin•back

(ˈfɪnˌbæk)

n.

any baleen whale of the genus Balaenoptera, esp. B. physalus, having a prominent dorsal fin; rorqual.

Also called fin′back whale′, fin whale.

[1715–25]

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun

fin whale - large flat-headed whalebone whale having deep furrows along the throat; of Atlantic and Pacific

Balaenoptera physalus, common rorqual, finback, finback whale

rorqual, razorback - any of several baleen whales of the family Balaenopteridae having longitudinal grooves on the throat and a small pointed dorsal fin

Balaenoptera, genus Balaenoptera - type genus of the Balaenopteridae

Translations

финвал

Mentioned in

References in periodicals archive

The fin whale became beached around 100 metres from homes in Cheynes Beach, Albany in Western Australia.

Great white sharks circle huge whale as they wait to pounce on their prey; The great white sharks wait to swoop on a beached fin whale in the Cheynes Beach, Albany in Western Australia in the picture which won an award at Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year's ceremony

The fin whale is the second-largest creature on Earth after the blue whale.

Big pod shows west is best for whales; WILDLIFE

A dead fin whale has been pulled ashore on Belgium's North Sea coast, drawing onlookers undaunted by the putrid smell.

Dead fin whale pulled ashore on Belgian beach, cause probed

Last January, a18-meter fin whale was found dead on the shore of the Moharram Bek district in Egypt's Alexandria.

Endangered species found in Alexandria to be returned to natural habitat

A rare hybrid of a blue whale and a fin whale, it would have made an awesome sight rising through the waves.

Harpooned by a cannon butchered the death of a and brutally gentle giant; MILLIONAIRE WHALER VOWS TO CON NTINUE KILLING; EXCLUSIVE

There is only 1 historical record of a live Fin Whale in the waters between Vancouver Island and continental North America.

OCCURRENCE OF FIN WHALES (BALAENOPTERA PHYSALUS) BETWEEN VANCOUVER ISLAND AND CONTINENTAL NORTH AMERICA

Fin whale believed to be around 7 or 8 years old, washed to the Mediterranean through Gibraltar Strait

Dead whale found on Alexandria shore

Spatial assessment of fin whale hotspots and their association with krill within an important Antarctic feeding and fishing ground.

Ocurrencia de ballenas fin y jorobadas en el Mar de Scotia y area marina protegida de las islas Orcadas del Sur, Antartida

Omura's are about 33 to 38 feet long, slightly smaller than Bryde's, and they have distinct markings with a lower jaw that is white on the right side and dark on the left, similar to the better known fin whale.

A new whale species is discovered in the wild: a surprising population dwells off Madagascar

In addition, our data argue in favor of an epidemic cluster of fatal DMV among the Mediterranean fin whale population, even though, on the basis of the amino acid sequence of the SLAM/CD150 viral receptor, this species is not included among those susceptible to DMV epidemics (5,12).

Mediterranean fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) threatened by dolphin morbillivirus

A RARE fin whale was spotted in the North Sea by a conservation team on board a ferry.

Fin whale seen in sea

ISLAMABAD -- Using computer simulation of a fin whale head, scientists have discovered that the skulls of at least some baleen whales have acoustic properties that capture the energy of low frequencies and direct it to their ear bones.

Whales can hear through their bones: Scientists