Whales are a widely distributed and diverse group of fully aquatic placental marine mammals. As an informal and colloquial grouping, they correspond to large members of the infraorder Cetacea, i.e. al
Skeleton of a bowhead whale; notice the vestigial pelvis. Richard Lydekker, 1894
Sperm whale skeleton. Richard Lydekker, 1894.
The fin whale, also known as the finback whale or common rorqual, is a species of baleen whale and the second-longest cetacean after the blue whale. The biggest individual reportedly measured 26–27.3
A fin whale in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, showing characteristic backswept dorsal fin
A frontal view of a fin whale, showing asymmetrical colouration