Fin Whale (IMAGE) Wildlife Conservation Society Caption A fin whale is swimming in New York waters. A hi-tech buoy fitted with a hydrophone and located 22 miles south of Fire Island has detected the vocalizations of fin whales, enormous marine mammals second in size only to the blue whale, the largest animal species on earth. The first whale detection was made on Monday, July 4th. Credit A.H. Kopelman for CRESLI. Usage Restrictions One-time usage only. License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.