Minke Whale
The Minke Whale is a rorqual, the largest group of the baleen whales which includes the Blue Whale, the Fin Whale, the Bryde's Whale, the Sei Whale and the Humpback Whale. The name Minke is possibly derived from a Norwegian whaler named Meincke who mistook a Minke Whale for a Blue Whale.
Most modern classifications split the Minke Whale in to 2 species: Common or Northern Minke Whale and Antarctic or Southern Minke Whale. Taxonomists further categorize the Common Minke Whale in to 2 or 3 subspecies: the North Atlantic Minke Whale, the North Pacific Minke Whale and the Dwarf Minke Whale.
The Common Minke Whale is the smallest of the rorquals and one of the smallest baleen whales (second smallest only to the Pygmy Right Whale). In the north Atlantic, Norwegian whaling vessels in 1940 allegedly caught individuals of up to 35 feet in length but they were likely only measured visually in comparison to objects of known dimensions aboard the ships themselves. The longest caught in subsequent years were only up to 30 to 33 feet in length. At sexual maturity, the Common Minke Whale in the north Atlantic averages between 20 to 23 feet in length whilst at physical maturity it averages between 26 to 28 feet long. At birth, the calf is estimated to be 8 to 9 feet in length.
The Common Minke Whale is dark grey dorsally and clean white ventrally. It is among the most robust members of the rorqual group, the greatest height of its body being one fifth its total length. It has a narrow, pointed and triangular rostrum (beak) and its prominent, upright, falcate dorsal fin averages about 12 inches in height and is set about two-thirds the way along the back. The pectoral fins are relatively small, averaging about 2.4 feet in length, and they have a transverse, white band on their outer margins which is the most distinguishing feature of the species. The smooth-sided tail flukes average about 6.6 feet in width but can be over 9 feet wide and they are light grey or white ventrally and bordered by dark grey.
The Common Minke Whales has a disjointed distribution. In the north Atlantic it occurs as far north as Baffin Bay, Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya and as far south as 40°N (New Jersey, USA), the Hebrides and the central North Sea during the summer. It has been recorded off Madeira and it occurs all year off the Canary Islands. There are occasional sightings and strandings off Spain and Portugal, the western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal. It is rare off the Azores and a vagrant in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean. During the winter it has been recorded off Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Antilles, the east coast of the USA south of 40°N and in the south eastern north Atlantic. There are estimated to be over 180,000 Common Minke Whales in the North Atlantic.
The Common Minke Whale is sexually mature at about 6 to 8 years old for females and about 6 to 7 years old for males. Peak conception is in February in the north Atlantic and peak calving is in December after a gestation period of 10 months. A single calf is normally born and is weaned after a period of 6 months. It is thought that growth ceases for both sexes when they have reached 15 to 20 years old and both sexes can live to about 50 years of age.
In the North Atlantic, the Common Minke Whale primarily eats small schooling fish, pelagic crustaceans and molluscs and krill but its diet varies by region and season.
The Common Minke Whale is normally seen as a single individual. It also exhibits a great degree of spatial and temporal segregation by sex, age and reproductive condition.
When a Common Minke Whale first comes to the surface to breathe its pointed rostrum (beak) is the first to break the surface when a narrow or low, diffuse blow is visible. It then arches its back in a quick motion, exaggerating this arch during its terminal deep dive.
Although first ignored by whalers due to its small size and low oil yield, the Common Minke Whale began to be exploited by various countries in the early 20th century. As other species declined, larger numbers of Common Minke Whales were caught largely for their meat. It is now one of the primary targets of the north Atlantic whaling industry in Norway and Iceland. In spite of the whaling industry, the Common Minke Whale is still considered "Least Concern" from a conservation standpoint and due to its relative abundance it is often the focus of whale watching trips in locations such as Iceland, Norway, north west Scotland.
Date: 10th June 2015
Location: Faxaflói, Reykjavík, Iceland
Most modern classifications split the Minke Whale in to 2 species: Common or Northern Minke Whale and Antarctic or Southern Minke Whale. Taxonomists further categorize the Common Minke Whale in to 2 or 3 subspecies: the North Atlantic Minke Whale, the North Pacific Minke Whale and the Dwarf Minke Whale.
The Common Minke Whale is the smallest of the rorquals and one of the smallest baleen whales (second smallest only to the Pygmy Right Whale). In the north Atlantic, Norwegian whaling vessels in 1940 allegedly caught individuals of up to 35 feet in length but they were likely only measured visually in comparison to objects of known dimensions aboard the ships themselves. The longest caught in subsequent years were only up to 30 to 33 feet in length. At sexual maturity, the Common Minke Whale in the north Atlantic averages between 20 to 23 feet in length whilst at physical maturity it averages between 26 to 28 feet long. At birth, the calf is estimated to be 8 to 9 feet in length.
The Common Minke Whale is dark grey dorsally and clean white ventrally. It is among the most robust members of the rorqual group, the greatest height of its body being one fifth its total length. It has a narrow, pointed and triangular rostrum (beak) and its prominent, upright, falcate dorsal fin averages about 12 inches in height and is set about two-thirds the way along the back. The pectoral fins are relatively small, averaging about 2.4 feet in length, and they have a transverse, white band on their outer margins which is the most distinguishing feature of the species. The smooth-sided tail flukes average about 6.6 feet in width but can be over 9 feet wide and they are light grey or white ventrally and bordered by dark grey.
The Common Minke Whales has a disjointed distribution. In the north Atlantic it occurs as far north as Baffin Bay, Svalbard, Franz Josef Land and Novaya Zemlya and as far south as 40°N (New Jersey, USA), the Hebrides and the central North Sea during the summer. It has been recorded off Madeira and it occurs all year off the Canary Islands. There are occasional sightings and strandings off Spain and Portugal, the western Sahara, Mauritania and Senegal. It is rare off the Azores and a vagrant in the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean. During the winter it has been recorded off Bermuda, the Bahamas, the Antilles, the east coast of the USA south of 40°N and in the south eastern north Atlantic. There are estimated to be over 180,000 Common Minke Whales in the North Atlantic.
The Common Minke Whale is sexually mature at about 6 to 8 years old for females and about 6 to 7 years old for males. Peak conception is in February in the north Atlantic and peak calving is in December after a gestation period of 10 months. A single calf is normally born and is weaned after a period of 6 months. It is thought that growth ceases for both sexes when they have reached 15 to 20 years old and both sexes can live to about 50 years of age.
In the North Atlantic, the Common Minke Whale primarily eats small schooling fish, pelagic crustaceans and molluscs and krill but its diet varies by region and season.
The Common Minke Whale is normally seen as a single individual. It also exhibits a great degree of spatial and temporal segregation by sex, age and reproductive condition.
When a Common Minke Whale first comes to the surface to breathe its pointed rostrum (beak) is the first to break the surface when a narrow or low, diffuse blow is visible. It then arches its back in a quick motion, exaggerating this arch during its terminal deep dive.
Although first ignored by whalers due to its small size and low oil yield, the Common Minke Whale began to be exploited by various countries in the early 20th century. As other species declined, larger numbers of Common Minke Whales were caught largely for their meat. It is now one of the primary targets of the north Atlantic whaling industry in Norway and Iceland. In spite of the whaling industry, the Common Minke Whale is still considered "Least Concern" from a conservation standpoint and due to its relative abundance it is often the focus of whale watching trips in locations such as Iceland, Norway, north west Scotland.
Date: 10th June 2015
Location: Faxaflói, Reykjavík, Iceland
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Also in: Reykjavík and Reykjanes peninsula
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