Pardon the Interruption

They say that fortune favors the brave. In this case, it favors the baleens.



Fin whales are the second largest species on the planet and are known as the “greyhounds of the sea” for the speed at which they traverse the water – up to 45 kph. They can grow up to 25 meters in length and weigh over 70 tons, yet they sustain themselves on plankton-sized organisms and small fish.



These whales engage in lunge feeding, in which the animal accelerates towards the surface at great speed, turns its heads, opens its mouth and suctions in huge quantities of water, and with it, fish. Unlike toothed whales, fin whales have baleen, or whalebone. These bristly plates are made of keratin and line both sides of the upper jaw, acting as a sieve when it filters out the water. The whale’s pleated underside allows the mouth to expand to take in this water, leaving a very disproportionate looking body.



Orcas off Norway engage in a technique known as carousel feeding. During these events, a pod locates a school of herring, surrounds the fish to shape them into a bait ball before eating the herring. On rare occasions, opportunists arrive on scene to take advantage of the orcas’ work.



This image was taken in one of Norway’s northern fjords. I found myself on the edge of the ball of herring that the orcas had corralled, hypnotized by the synchronized movement. Suddenly, the fish dispersed in all directions when these massive figures shot through the middle of the bait ball. There had been a group of at least four fin whales that had previously inspected the herring prior to making their move, two of which made it in this image. Even at 15mm, the proximity and size of these animals is staggering.



Fin whales have been commercially hunted, with the whaling industry killing almost 900,000 worldwide in the 20th century. While hunting has largely subsided, Norway, Japan, and Iceland continue their operations. Fin whales are still considered an endangered species today.