text: Finback whales weigh about 7 to 8 times that of the largest and heaviest land animal-the African Elephant. This and other interesting facts about finback whales are revealed in this AnimalSake post.
  But with the introduction of new, modern, fast-paced, and high-tech engines and fishing aids, finback whales became easy prey. According to the Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, Maine, almost 30,000 finbacks were killed every year from 1935 to 1965. Commercial whaling was the biggest reason for the dwindling numbers of these giants. Apart from whaling, a few other reasons, like accidentally getting entangled in fishing gear laid out for massive fishing of other fish, collisions with big ships, and changes in the marine ecosystem due to global warming and oil leakages, leading to scarcity of food are reported to have reduced their numbers. People trespassing their habitat for recreational whale watching also tends to disturb them. Although this does not cause mortality, it is still counted as one of the reasons that disrupts the marine balance.
  The breathing pattern of this whale varies with the kind of activity it is doing. While feeding, they will breathe 5 to 6 times quickly in one minute. On the other hand, when they are traveling or simply resting, they will only breathe 1 or 2 times in a minute. They rarely breach. One reason for such behavior is because they get scared very easily by moving vessels or ships, but keep moving around still ships.
  When in the mood to eat, these whales move at a speed of around 10 miles per hour. While moving, they open their jaws, and in one gulp, engulf around 70 cubic meters of water. Then they close the mouth and push all the water out through the baleen plates. The baleen plates trap their prey inside, while allowing the water to leave.
  The winter season is the mating season for these whales. They normally prefer temperate, low latitude areas for mating. The gestation period varies from eleven months to one year. A newborn whale will wean from the mother till 6 to 7 months of age. By this time, summer sets in, and the calf accompanies its mother to the feeding regions.