Higher Classification: > Kingdom Animalia > Subkingdom Eumetazoa > Phylum Chordata > Subphylum Vertebrata > Infraphylum Gnathostomata > Megaclass Tetrapoda > Class Mammalia > Subclass Theria > Order Cetartiodactyla > Suborder Cetancodonta > Infraorder Cetacea > Superfamily Mysticeti > Family Balaenopteridae > Genus Balaenoptera

Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828

Rank: Species
Taxon Status: accepted

Relationships towards this taxon

Genus group names

*Balaenoptera*	Lacépède, 1804	accepted genus name

Vernaculars (+) (-)

Afrikaans: seiwalvis

Bulgarian: seyvаl; Сейвал sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Catalan: balena del nord

Czech: pletvák severný

Danish: sejhval

Dutch: noordse vinvis; nordsche vinvisch sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

English: dike whale; fish whale; flatback; northern rorqual; pollack whale; Rudolph's rorqual; sardine whale; sei whale sources: North-West Atlantic Ocean species (NWARMS)

French: baleine noire; rorqual de Rudolph

German: Seiwal

Greek: Βορειοφάλαινα sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Hebrew: לויתן צפוני sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Icelandic: sandereydur

Italian: balenottera boreale sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Japanese: iwashi kujira; iwasikuzira; kaguo kuzira; イワシクジラ sources: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. (2009 onwards). Biological Information System for Marine Life (BISMaL). Accessed on 2018-11-21.

Korean: bori-gorae

Lithuanian: seivalas sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Norwegian: seichval; seihval

Norwegian Bokmål: seihval sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Norwegian Nynorsk: seikval sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Polish: sejwal sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Russian: ivasevyi kit; ivasevyi polosatik; saidianoi kit; seival; сейвал sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Slovenian: zajval sources: Davorin Tome

Spanish, Castillian: ballena boba; ballena boreal; ballena sei; rorcual boreal; rorcual de Rudolphi; rorqual del norte; rorqual norteno; seihual sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Swedish: sejval

Thai: plawan klaebkhribdam

Turkish: sey balinası sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Ukrainian: івасевий кит; Сайдяний кит; Сейвал sources: PESI (A Pan-European Species directories Infrastructure) focal points

Welsh: morfil asgellog sei

Literature

original description	Lesson, R. P. (1828). Histoire naturelle générale et particulière des mammifères et des oiseaux décoverts depuis 1788 jusqu'a nos jours. 442pp.
basis of record	van der Land, J. (2001). Tetrapoda, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 375-376
additional source	Schmidly, D. J. and B. Würsig. 2009. Mammals (Vertebrata: Mammalia) of the Gulf of Mexico, Pp. 1343–1352 in Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.
additional source	Perrin, W.F.; Würsig, B.; Thewissen, J.G.M. (2009). Encyclopedia of marine mammals. Second edition. Academic Press: London. ISBN 978-0-12-373553-9. xxix, 1316 pp.
additional source	Rice, D. W. (1998). Marine mammals of the world. Systematics and distribution. Society for Marine Mammalogy Special Publication. 4.
additional source	Liu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp.
additional source	Jefferson, T. A., M. A. Webber and R. L. Pitman. (2008). Marine mammals of the world. Academic Press, Amsterdam.
additional source	Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS).
additional source	Hershkovitz, P. (1966). Catalog of Living Whales. Bulletin of the United States National Museum. (246): 1-259.
additional source	Carwardine, M., E. Hoyt, R. E. Fordyce and P. Gill. 1998. Whales, dolphins and porpoises. Time-Life Books. Nature Company Guides, USA. 288 p.
additional source	Mead, J. G.; Brownell, R. L. Jr. (2005). Cetacea. In Wilson, D.E. & D.M. Reeder (eds). Mammal Species of the World. A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed), Johns Hopkins University Press, 2,142 pp. 723--743.
additional source	King, C.M.; Roberts, C.D.; Bell, B.D.; Fordyce, R.E.; Nicoll, R.S.; Worthy, T.H.; Paulin, C.D.; Hitchmough, R.A.; Keyes, I.W.; Baker, A.N.; Stewart, A.L.; Hiller, N.; McDowall, R.M.; Holdaway, R.N.; McPhee, R.P.; Schwarzhans, W.W.; Tennyson, A.J.D.; Rust, S.; Macadie, I. (2009). Phylum Chordata: lancelets, fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals. in: Gordon, D.P. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: 1. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. pp. 431-554.
additional source	IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
additional source	Linkletter, L. E. (1977). A checklist of marine fauna and flora of the Bay of Fundy. Huntsman Marine Laboratory, St. Andrews, N.B. 68: p.
ecology source	Looby, A.; Erbe, C.; Bravo, S.; Cox, K.; Davies, H. L.; Di Iorio, L.; Jézéquel, Y.; Juanes, F.; Martin, C. W.; Mooney, T. A.; Radford, C.; Reynolds, L. K.; Rice, A. N.; Riera, A.; Rountree, R.; Spriel, B.; Stanley, J.; Vela, S.; Parsons, M. J. G. (2023). Global inventory of species categorized by known underwater sonifery. Scientific Data. 10(1).

Genbank

External Links

Marine Life Information Network - UK

Citation

Fordyce, E.; Perrin, W.F. (2025). World Cetacea Database. Balaenoptera borealis Lesson, 1828. Via: Costello, M.J.; Bouchet, P.; Boxshall, G.; Arvantidis, C.; Appeltans, W. (2011) European Register of Marine Species, Accessed through PESI at http://www.eu-nomen.eu/portal/taxon.php?GUID=urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:137088