Description
The sei whale is the third-largest balaenopterid, after the blue whale (up to 180 tonnes, 200 tons) and the fin whale (up to 70 tonnes, 77 tons). In the North Pacific, adult males average 13.7 m (45 ft) and adult females 15 m (49 ft), while in the North Atlantic adult males average 14 m (46 ft) and adult females 14.5 m (47.5 ft). In the Southern Hemisphere they average 14.5 (47.5 ft) and 15 m (49 ft), respectively. In the Northern Hemisphere, males reach up to 17.1 m (56 ft) and females up to 18.6 m (61 ft), while in the Southern Hemisphere males reach 18.6 m (61 ft) and females 19.5 m (64 ft). The largest specimens taken off Iceland were a 16.15 m (53 ft) female and a 14.6 m (48 ft) male. The longest measured by Discovery Committee staff were an adult male of 16.15 m (53 ft) and an adult female of 17.1 m (56 ft), both caught off South Georgia. Adults usually weigh between 15 and 20 metric tons — a 16.4 m (53.7 ft) pregnant female caught off Natal in 1966 weighed 37.75 metric tons (minus 6% for loss of fluids during flensing). Females are considerably larger than males. At birth, a calf typically measures 4.4-4.5 m (14.4-14.7 ft) in length.
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