Sei << say >> whale is a large, slender whale that lives in all the oceans . Sei whales are most commonly found in deep temperate waters. The whales migrate to colder waters to feed in summer and to warmer waters to breed in winter.
North of the equator, male sei whales reach 55 feet (17 meters) in length, and females reach 62 feet (19 meters). Both sexes are slightly larger in the Southern Hemisphere. Sei whales are mostly dark gray with a lighter gray belly. They have a prominent dolphinlike dorsal fin on the rear half of the back.
Sei whales feed on fish , squid , and krill or other tiny shellfish. The whale lunges into large masses of prey, opening its mouth toward the end of the lunge. As the whale feeds, numerous pleats of skin lining the whale’s throat expand, permitting the whale to take in huge volumes of water and prey. The whale then expels the water, filtering the food through coarse plates called baleen that hang from its upper jaw.
Commercial whalers hunted sei whales extensively during the 1960’s and 1970’s, greatly reducing the numbers of these whales worldwide. International restrictions now protect sei whales.
