Endangered Mediterranean species
Italy
Puerto Rico
Russia
GROUPER

Sei whale
(Balaenoptera borealis)

Geographic distribution

The Sei Whale live in every sea in the world. These animals occupy temperate and subpolar regions in the summer and migrate to sub-tropical waters during the winter.

Characteristics

Sei whales are smaller than the fin whales. The average length of males is 13 m, females are larger. Sei whales weigh between 20-25 tonnes.
They have a compressed tail and short pectoral fins. The dorsal fin ranges in height from 25 to 61 cm, is slightly hooked and is located about two-thirds back along the body. The body is dark steel grey with irregular white markings ventrally. Each side of the upper part of the mouth contains about 400 baleen plates.

Behavior

These animals feed on the surface of the water by trapping small fish and plankton in their baleen plates. A Sei whale eats about 900 kilograms of food every day.
They live in large aggregations and are very fast, swimming at speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour, but they are not good divers .
LOGGERHEAD TURTLE
COMMON DOLPHIN POSEIDONIA
RED CORAL MONK SEAL
FIN WHALE SEI WHALE
GIANT LIMPET SPONGE
PINNA NOBILIS STRIPED DOLPHIN

Reproduction


Mating occurs during the winter months. Gestation lasts from 10 to 12 months. Females usually give birth to a single calf, who it nurses for six or seven months. Young reach sexual maturity at 10 years of age and reach full adult size when they are about 25 years old. Sei whales may live as long as 74 years.

Influence of man

These relatively small whales are less profitable for whalers than the much larger blue whale. Nonetheless, fewer than 70,000 of the creatures are estimated to remain worldwide.
Now it is considerated endangered.