Whale in Trieste

Two days ago, on November 4th, 2009, Morigenos received another interesting report from its Italian colleagues from the Miramare reserve. A whale entered the port of Trieste (North Adriatic). Photos, which we received from our Italian colleagues, show that it was a fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), also known as the »finback whale«. The whale was also spotted close to Trieste the next day, on November 5th. The animal was estimated to be around 12 m long. The animal was not spotted today. The fin whale is the second largest animal species on Earth, right after the blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus). Fin whales are a regular species in the Mediterranean, but they do not live in the Adriatic. Nevertheless, single individuals happen to enter the waters of the North Adriatic almost every year. Photo: Il Piccolo