Omura's whale (Balaenoptera omurai)

There is a problem with trying to illustrate Mysticetes in as much detail as possible, and that problem's name is the Omura's whale. Only scientifically described in 2003, there is so little known about this whale that this info piece is going to be very short indeed (and mostly about how little we know). Because while various metric data is know, including length and weight measurements, and cranial morphology, barely a thing is known about their ecology. Also their looks are somewhat mysterious: in the official report they are noted as being very similar to the much larger Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) in colouration, and have indeed been called the 'Little fin whale' as well.

However, photos are very hard to come by to verify that description - I only had two coloured individuals to work with, versus my more usual number of 40 or 50. There was also a young male that had stranded on an Australian beach, but he had turned black after his demise. All other photos I had showed only dorsal fins and backs. So, not much to go on and for once I cannot say with certainty that this is indeed what these whales look like. For the sake of realism I have given this one an elaborate colouration pattern with just as much detail as the others - I just cannot say it's all necessarily correct. I based much of my whale on a video taken in Thailand, which indeed appears to show an Omura's whale underwater, in incredible detail. However the species ID has not been backed up by experts and it may also concern a small Fin whale. So again, this all is tentative. However I do hope you still enjoy seeing this mystery whale. May we find out much more about them in the future!