Minke Whale

Description

The minke whale is the smallest and most abundant of the rorqual whales, with adults typically measuring 23 to 33 feet in length and weighing 6 to 10 tons. Their body is sleek and streamlined, with a sharply pointed, triangular rostrum (snout) that distinguishes them from other baleen whales. The dorsal coloration is dark gray to black, transitioning to white on the belly and undersides of the flippers. The most reliable field identification mark for Northern Hemisphere minke whales is a prominent white band across each pectoral flipper, a feature absent in their Southern Hemisphere counterparts. The dorsal fin is relatively tall and falcate (sickle-shaped), positioned about two-thirds of the way back on the body. Minke whales have 230 to 360 baleen plates on each side of the upper jaw, which are mostly pale or yellowish white in color. Their blow is low and inconspicuous, rarely exceeding 6 feet in height, making them more difficult to spot at a distance than larger whale species.

Habitat & Range

Minke whales have a cosmopolitan distribution, occurring in all of the world’s oceans from tropical to polar waters, though they are most common in temperate and cooler regions. In the eastern North Pacific, they range from the Bering Sea to the equator, with notable concentrations along the coast of California. Minke whales are found in the waters off Southern California year-round, though they may be more frequently encountered during spring and summer when coastal upwelling drives high biological productivity. They often inhabit coastal and continental shelf waters, sometimes entering bays, estuaries, and inlets, bringing them close to shore and within range of whale-watch vessels operating from Orange County harbors. Minke whales are less predictable in their movements than species with well-defined migration routes like the gray whale, and some populations may be resident in productive areas rather than undertaking long-distance migrations.

Diet

Minke whales are opportunistic feeders with a varied diet that includes krill, small schooling fish such as anchovies, sardines, herring, sand lance, and capelin, as well as squid. In the waters off Southern California, they commonly feed on anchovies and sardines. Like other rorqual whales, minke whales employ lunge feeding, accelerating into prey concentrations and engulfing large volumes of water before filtering it through their baleen. Their relatively small body size allows them to be more agile than larger rorquals, and they can execute tight turns and rapid lunges to capture prey. An adult minke whale consumes approximately 600 to 900 pounds of food per day. They have been observed feeding in association with seabird flocks and sea lion groups, which can help whale watchers locate them by watching for concentrations of foraging marine life.

Behavior

Minke whales are typically solitary or found in small groups of two or three individuals, though larger aggregations may form in particularly productive feeding areas. They are known for their curious nature, sometimes approaching boats and circling them, earning them the nickname “stinky minke” among some mariners due to the noticeable odor of their blow at close range. Minke whales are fast and agile swimmers, capable of speeds up to 21 miles per hour. Their typical dive pattern involves a series of shallow breaths at the surface lasting 2 to 3 minutes, followed by a deeper dive of 6 to 12 minutes. They rarely raise their flukes above the surface when diving. Minke whales occasionally breach, launching their entire body clear of the water and reentering with a splash. They produce a variety of vocalizations including boings, clicks, and low-frequency moans. Females give birth to a single calf after a gestation period of approximately 10 months, with calves weaned at about 5 to 6 months of age.

Conservation Status

The common minke whale is listed as Least Concern on the IUCN Red List, reflecting its relatively large global population estimated at several hundred thousand individuals. It was not targeted as heavily by early commercial whalers due to its small size, though it became a focus of whaling operations in the mid-20th century as larger species were depleted. Today, minke whales continue to be hunted by Norway, Iceland, and Japan despite the International Whaling Commission’s moratorium on commercial whaling, with several hundred killed annually under various exceptions and objections. In U.S. waters, minke whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Threats to minke whales include entanglement in fishing gear, ship strikes, ocean noise pollution, and the potential effects of climate change on prey distribution and abundance. Their relatively robust population numbers and wide distribution make them less immediately vulnerable than many other whale species, but ongoing monitoring is important to ensure population stability.