Body weights of some species of large whales

Abstract

Body weight data for the large species of Cetacea: right, gray, blue, fin, Bryde, sei, humpback and minke whales, have been compiled from various sources, and used to formulate body weight/length relationships. All the cetacean body weights examined can be related to body length in the formulation W = aL^b, where W is body weight in tonnes and L is body length in m. Generally, the value of b falls within the range 3.0 ± 0.6 for the species examined. Weight/length formulae have been adjusted to allow for blood and fluid losses during flensing: 6% body weight in baleen whales and 10% body weight in the toothed sperm whale. These adjusted formulae have been used to calculate the biomass of the whale catches in the Antarctic since 1904. Comparisons of weight proportions of body tissues in different species show that right whales are the heaviest whales for a given length and carry the greatest proportion of blubber fat. The baleen whales of the genus Balaenoptera (blue, fin, Bryde, sei and minke) carry greater proportions of muscle tissue than the other species.