Reaching up to 24 meters in length and weighing up to 70 tonnes, the fin whale is the second-largest animal ever to have lived, surpassed only by the blue whale. The species can be found across the world's oceans but is most at home in cooler waters.
Animal behaviour specialist Chimienti noted that surface feeding is a normal part of the species' foraging strategy, though observing the behavior in coastal waters is quite spectacular. Little is known about fin whale migration, and their movements are believed to differ significantly from other baleen whales such as blue and humpback whales.
Morgan described encounters with the animals while fishing in the area, stating that whales have occasionally popped up right next to anchored boats when nothing else was happening.
Videographer Rhys Morgan filmed a fin whale lunge feeding off the Pembrokeshire coast in Wales using a drone. The footage shows the marine mammal's expandable pleats taking in up to 18,000 gallons of water and krill in a single gulp.