Conservation
Scientific Classification
Order | Artiodactyla |
Infraorder | Cetacea |
Family | Balaenopteridae |
Genus | Balaenoptera |
Binomial name | Balaenoptera acutorostrata Balaenoptera bonaerensis |
Range Map
Description
The minke whale grows between 21-30 ft (6.5-9m) and weighs between 5.5-10 tons.
The diet of a minke whale consists mainly of krill and other crustaceans, and small fish in schools.
They have a single calf after a gestation period of 10-11 months.
They are the smallest and most abundant of the rorqual whales. They are slim, with a pointed head, and rarely shows much of itself through the water.
There are three subspecies of the minke whale; North Atlantic, North Pacific and dwarf minke whale.