Common Minke Whale

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.