Minke Whale

Scientific name
Balaenoptera acutorastrata
Gaelic name
Muc-mhara-mhionc

The Minke Whale can be 7 to 10 meters long and can weigh 5.000 to 15.000 kg! The Minke whale has no teeth but baleen, and is the smallest baleen whale.

Feeding
The Minke Whale eats mainly little fish and krill.
It takes a big mouth full of water and fish and krill.
Then the Minke Whale pushes the water
out of its mouth. Its baleen traps the
fish and krill in its mouth. Then the Minke Whale
can swallow its prey.

Finding a Minke Whale
You can see a Minke Whale when it is coming to the surface to breathe. On the drawing you can see what that looks like. The back and dorsal fin of the Minke Whale is black or dark grey and it has a white underside. The flippers are dark and sometimes have a white band. You can find Minke Whales almost everywhere, though they are less common in tropical waters. So in the waters around Britain, like in the Hebrides, you can find them as well.

Mating
Minke Whales start to have calves at the age of 6-8, and are born all year round, but mainly in the winter.[INSERT; Drawing of mother and calf]

Threats
The Minke Whale is threatened by

• hunting
• entanglement in fishing nets
• pollution

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