The world’s second-largest animal has been spotted near a town popular with British expats and tourists.
Footage showed the fin whales spraying mist from their blowholes yesterday (18 Jun) as stunned locals watched on.
The species, also known as Balaenoptera physalus, is widely regarded as the world’s second-largest animal after the blue whale.
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The pod was spotted a short distance off the coast of Fuengirola, south-west of Málaga, Spain.
The Alborán Basin, in the western part of the Mediterranean Sea, is a natural corridor for these whales and other cetaceans.
It is not always unusual to see fin whales in the area between May and July as they follow their migratory routes.
But the International Union for Conservation of Nature considers the species “vulnerable” due to hunting, ship strikes, and underwater noise pollution.
Fin whales can reach up to 27m (89ft) in length and weigh more than 70 tonnes, as reported by Need To Know.
They can be found in nearly every ocean and an adult can consume over 1.8 tonnes of food per day.
They are known as the “greyhound of the sea” due to their ability to swim at speeds of up to 28mph.
Local woman Ana said: “What a summer this is! All we need now is an orca to swim past. Absolutely incredible!”
