AnAge entry for Balaenoptera physalus
Classification (HAGRID: 02282)
- Taxonomy
-
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia (Taxon entry)
Order: Cetacea (Taxon entry)
Family: Balaenopteridae
Genus: Balaenoptera
- Species
- Balaenoptera physalus
- Common name
- Fin whale
- Synonyms
- Balaena physalus
Lifespan, ageing, and relevant traits
- Maximum longevity
- 114 years (wild)
- Source
- ref. 434
- Sample size
- Medium
- Data quality
- Acceptable
- Observations
As in other whales, these animals attain sexual maturity before they are fully grown. It is estimated that they attain physical maturity in about 25-30 years. Although there are no detailed studies, some estimates suggest these animals may live over 100 years in the wild with one study estimating that some individuals may live up to 114 years [0434].
Life history traits (averages)
- Female sexual maturity
- 2,701 days
- Male sexual maturity
- 2,864 days
- Gestation
- 342 days
- Weaning
- 183 days
- Litter size
- 1 (viviparous)
- Litters per year
- 0.4
- Inter-litter interval
- 608 days
- Weight at birth
- 1,800,000 g
- Weight at weaning
- Adult weight
- 70,000,000 g
- Postnatal growth rate
Metabolism
No information on metabolism is available.
References
- [0610] Ernest (2003), Life history characteristics of placental non-volant mammals
- [0434] Ronald Nowak (1999), Walker's Mammals of the World
- [0538] Don Wilson and Sue Ruff (1999), The Smithsonian Book of North American Mammals
- [0455] Virginia Hayssen et al. (1993), Asdell's Patterns of Mammalian Reproduction: A Compendium of Species-Specific Data
- [0680] Wootton (1987), The effects of body mass, phylogeny, habitat, and trophic level on mammalian age at first reproduction
External Resources
- Integrated Taxonomic Information System
- ITIS 180527
- Animal Diversity Web
- ADW account
- Encyclopaedia of Life
- Search EOL
- NCBI Taxonomy
- Taxonomy ID 9770
- Entrez
- Search all databases
- Ageing Literature
- Search Google Scholar or Search PubMed
- Images
- Google Image search
- Internet
- Search Google