Evidence found
12,430 records across 36 countries and territories, 1531–2026.
Balaenoptera physalus · GBIF taxon key 2440718
Where has the fin whale been recorded?
Balaenoptera physalus occurrence evidence comes from 12,430 records in 36 countries and territories, from 1531 to 2026. Most records come from United States.
- 12,430 records
- 36 places
- 122 years recorded
- Mammalia class
Observation evidence passport
Source coverage
CC0 GBIF Animalia occurrence facets, including country, month and year summaries.
Refreshed 2026-09-21. Inspect the taxon on GBIF.
What this means
The species has been recorded in the listed places in the stated source universe. Peak month: February.
12 months reach at least 10% of the peak facet count.
What this does not mean
repeated describes the record pattern, not a formal range, residency, abundance or conservation assessment.
A single record remains evidence of a recording, not proof that a population lives there.
Compare this animal’s observation pattern
When it is recorded
JFMAMJJASOND
Peak month: February. Records cluster in the months an animal is present and being looked for, so a summer peak can reflect observer effort as much as the animal.
Records over time
15312026
Recording effort has risen steeply almost everywhere since the 1990s, so a rising line usually shows more observers rather than more animals.
Where fin whale has been recorded
The countries below show where occurrence evidence exists for fin whale. They do not define a complete habitat range: survey effort differs by place, and historical or one-off records can appear alongside repeated presence.
| Place | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| United States | 5,538 | |
| Antarctica | 2,851 | |
| South Georgia | 2,584 | |
| Canada | 807 | |
| Portugal | 102 | |
| Mexico | 72 | |
| Svalbard and Jan Mayen | 52 | |
| Netherlands | 46 | |
| Greenland | 41 | |
| Chile | 37 | |
| Ireland | 26 | |
| Norway | 21 | |
| Australia | 18 | |
| Spain | 17 | |
| France | 16 | |
| Iceland | 14 | |
| United Kingdom | 13 | |
| Italy | 13 | |
| Falkland Islands | 8 | |
| Argentina | 6 | |
| Brazil | 5 | |
| Russia | 4 | |
| Belgium | 3 | |
| Japan | 3 | |
| New Zealand | 3 | |
| Germany | 2 | |
| Ecuador | 2 | |
| Belize | 1 | |
| Faroe Islands | 1 | |
| French Guiana | 1 | |
| Greece | 1 | |
| Israel | 1 | |
| India | 1 | |
| Latvia | 1 | |
| Venezuela | 1 | |
| South Africa | 1 |
Related animals
Others in the family Balaenopteridae.
Record pattern: repeated
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.
Repeated records across many years and months. This is inferred from how many years and months the animal appears in, not from a range map — treat it as evidence, not a formal assessment.