Fin Whale washed up dead near Warrnambool

A fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) washed up dead on Levy’s Beach near Warrnambool on 15 September, 2014. Fin Whales are considered Vulnerable nationally and Data Deficient in Victoria. The whale was identified as a Fin Whale in consultation with Museum of Victoria, Museum of Natural History in Washington DC and the Los Angeles County Natural History Museum.

Fin whales are a type of baleen whale that feed primarily on krill. Fin Whales are sometimes observed feeding in the Bonney Upwelling which occurs in southern waters off Portland.

Department of Environment and Primary Industries Biodiversity Officer, Mandy Watson, has advised the specimen was a young female measuring 16 metres and estimated to weigh 25 tonnes. The whale appears to have died recently, however the cause of death is not obvious.

Department of Environment and Primary Industries (DEPI) and Museum Victoria worked together to remove the whale. The skeleton has been dismantled by Museum Victoria staff and will be prepared for use in the museum’s collection. 

The last recorded washed up Fin Whale in Victoria was in January 1985 near San Remo (Source: Victorian Biodiversity Atlas).