Fishin' for Facts: Minke Whales
Common name: Minke Whales
Scientific name: Family Balaenopteridae:
Genus species: Balaenoptera acutorostrata
 | Size |
The largest females can reach lengths up to 10.7 meters (35 feet) and the largest males can be 9.8 meters (32 feet) long. They can weigh up to 10 tons (20,000 pounds). Calves can be 2.4 to 2.8 meters (7.9 to 9.1 feet) at birth.
| What do they eat? |
A minke's diet varies depending on where it lives. In the southern hemisphere it eats mainly krill. Minkes from the northern hemisphere eat herring, cod, pollack, capelin and krill.
| Minke Highlights: |
Minke whales are baleen whales. These slender whales have 50-70 ventral grooves and a dorsal fin. They are black to dark gray with a white underside. The flippers are dark on top and white underneath with a white band across the top of the flipper. Adult minke whales have 230 to 360 yellowish baleen plates which range in size from 12 cm to 20 cm.
One of a killer whales' favorite food seems to be minke whales.
Citation: Musgrave, Ruth A. California Minke Whales. Fishin' for Facts. WhaleTimes, Inc. (whaletimes.org) 2011
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