Graceful, curious, and often overlooked, minke whales are the smallest members of the rorqual family – a group that also includes the mighty blue and humpback whales.
Despite their modest size, minkes are remarkable creatures, known for their agility, intelligence, and adaptability across the world’s oceans. This guide from the experts at Whale and Dolphin Conservation will help you get to know one of the ocean’s most enigmatic inhabitants.
What do minke whales look like?
Minke whales are the second smallest baleen whale (around 8 -9 m in length) and have sleek, torpedo-shaped bodies, a sharply pointed snout, and a curved dorsal fin that appears about two-thirds down their back. They have baleen plates in their mouths (instead of teeth) which they use to filter-feed.
As unique as your fingerprints, every minke whale has distinctive pigmentation. Taking pictures of both their dorsal fins and backs, researchers can clearly identify individuals. Northern minkes are easy to recognize by the distinct white band across each flipper — a feature their southern cousins lack. Their skin is mostly dark grey to black, with pale undersides and subtle streaks or dappled patterns along the flanks.
How big are minke whales
Male minke whales are around 8 metres (23 ft) long, weighing about 7 tonnes while females are usually slightly larger, up to 9 metres (28 ft) long and weighing 8-9 tonnes.
Where do minke whales live?
Minke whales are not fussy. They roam in across the ocean, from the icy Arctic and Antarctic waters to tropical seas. However, they tend to avoid the very warm equatorial belt, preferring cooler and temperate zones where food is abundant. During the winter they typically travel toward warmer waters to breed and in summer move closer to colder waters near the poles to feed.
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Do they form pods or super pods?
Although it is not unusual to see several individuals together in some feeding grounds, minke whales are usually solitary or seen in small groups of two or three. Occasionally, they’ll form loose aggregations when food is plentiful, but they don’t form massive super pods like dolphins.
How do they breathe?
Like all whales, minkes are mammals and breathe air through two blowholes (adapted nostrils) on top of their head. They exhale in a quick, low blow that reaches about 2–3 meters high.
Minke whales are not ones for dramatic, acrobatic displays. They don’t appear at the surface for long – often less than a minute. After a few quick breaths, they dive again, sometimes staying underwater for 10–20 minutes during deeper feeding dives.
How fast can they swim?
They’re impressively sleek and agile, capable of reaching up to 35 km/h (22 mph) — earning them a reputation as one of the fastest baleen whales.
Do minke whales have teeth?
The minke has no teeth. Like other baleen whales, they have baleen plates — around 230–360 plates on each side of the mouth — made of keratin (the same material as fingernails). These plates act like a sieve to trap krill and small fish but allow seawater to flow out.
What minke whales eat?
Common minke whales are not picky – they enjoy a varied diet that includes krill and other invertebrates, small schooling fish (sand eels, herring, capelin) and larger fish (such as cod and pollock) too.
How do they track their prey?
Minke whales rely on acute hearing and touch-sensitive jaws to detect dense swarms of prey underwater. Once located, they lunge through the schools, taking in mouthfuls of fish filled seawater. They may also actively corral fish into a tight shoal, using bubble blowing, head slapping and flashing white fin-patches to scare fish together.
How long do minke whales live for?
Minke whales can live for 40–60 years, though some individuals have been recorded to reach around 70 years.
How intelligent are they?
While not as well studied as some species of dolphins or humpbacks, minke whales show signs of complex communication, curiosity, and social awareness — particularly in how they approach boats or investigate new sounds.
When did minke whales first appear?
Minke whales are thought to have evolved roughly 10–15 million years ago, during the Miocene epoch — a time when many modern whale species were taking shape in the world’s oceans.
The minke whale was first described by a Danish naturalist in 1780, but assumed it must be an already known species and classified it as Balaena rostrata (a name already given to the northern bottlenose whale. In 1908, the French naturalist Lacepede described a juvenile specimen of Balaenoptera acuto-rostrata.
Where does the word minke come from?
It isn’t clear where the name originates from – possibly from ‘menke’, Norwegian for small whale. One alternative is the theory that the whale is named after a Norwegian whaler named Meincke, a mocking reference to him once mistaking a minke whale for a much larger blue whale.
Do they interact with other species of whale or dolphin?
Minke whales have been observed feeding alongside humpback whales and dolphins, especially in rich feeding zones, though interactions are generally brief and non-aggressive.
How do they breastfeed underwater?
Minke whale calves nurse from mammary slits on their mother’s underside. The mother releases rich milk in short bursts, and the calf wraps its tongue around the teat to capture it — all while swimming.
How long will the calf stay with its mother?
Calves are born after about 10 months of gestation and will nurse for up to 10 months. They usually stay close to their mothers for up to a year, learning migratory routes and feeding behaviour.
What sounds do minke whales make?
The sound of a minke whales is difficult to describe. They make a range of vocalisations including low frequency pulse trains, with grunt-like and thump-like pulses. In the North Pacific they are known for their mysterious ‘boing’ noise, and the dwarf mink whale produces a complex stereo-typed, so-called star-wars vocalisation.
Do they have natural predators?
Yes — killer whales (orcas) are their natural predator, often targeting calves or isolated adults. In some places, large sharks may also pose a threat to young or injured individuals.
How do they protect themselves?
Speed and stealth are their only defence. Minke whales can turn suddenly and dive deep quickly when threatened.
What are the main threats to minke whales?
Human activities pose the biggest dangers:
- Commercial whaling (especially in Japan and Norway)
- Bycatch in fishing gear
- Ship strikes
- Ocean noise pollution
- Climate change, which affects their prey
When did minke whales first appear?
Minke whales are thought to have evolved roughly 10–15 million years ago, during the Miocene epoch — a time when many modern whale species were taking shape in the world’s oceans.
The minke whale was first described by a Danish naturalist in 1780, but assumed it must be an already known species and classified it as Balaena rostrata (a name already given to the northern bottlenose whale. In 1908, the French naturalist Lacepede described a juvenile specimen of Balaenoptera acuto-rostrata.
Where does the word minke come from?
It isn’t clear where the name originates from – possibly from ‘menke’, Norwegian for small whale. One alternative is the theory that the whale is named after a Norwegian whaler named Meincke, a mocking reference to him once mistaking a minke whale for a much larger blue whale.
Are minke whales endangered?
Thankfully, minke whales are currently listed as Least Concern by the IUCN. Their populations are relatively healthy — possibly over 500,000 individuals worldwide.
However, ongoing hunting, risks from human activities and environmental changes mean continued studies of their distribution and abundance and conservation are crucial.
What is the scientific name?
There are different types of minke. The common or northern minke whale, and the Antarctic or southern minke whale (or dwarf minke whale). Both belong to the same baleen whale family as blue, fin, and humpback whales. These are known as the rorquals – the big whales that don’t have teeth. The gorgeous minke is the smallest of that family but is also one of the species still hunted in significant numbers.
What is the classification?
- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Chordata
- Class: Mammalia
- Order: Cetacea
- Family: Balaenopteridae
- Genus: Balaenoptera
- Species: B. acutorostrata / B. bonaerensis