18.11.2022 – High swell, deep troughs

Published by Fatima Kutzschbach on November 26, 2022

What ups and downs we had today in search of the marine mammals. Once at the top of the high swell and immediately we went down into the trough of the waves. The two baleen whales did not make it easy for us to approach them. However, identifying a baleen whale requires a few clues. While the dorsal fin can give an idea of what it might be, since the animals are individual in appearance, dorsal fin identification should not be overly binding. What is the classic characteristic of the different baleen whales that we can observe here? The shape of our whale’s dorsal fin might indicate a Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), but we had no way of seeing the right side of the lower jaw of the animal. In the case of a Fin whale, this would be white, while the left side is dark. Once you see the head section of a Tropical Whale (Balaenoptera edeni) the situation is clear as it has three head ridges. No other baleen whale has this special feature. But unfortunately, we didn’t see the head area of our whale today. Sei whales (Balaenoptera borealis) are usually very strong in physique, they only have a middle head ridge. Conclusion: today we know with certainty that it was a baleen whale, but which species must remain open at this point.