Minke projects

The Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) (or in gaelic muc-mhara mhoinc) is the smallest baleen whale in the world. It is the most commonly seen whale throughout the Hebrides and affectionately known as ‘stinky minke’ due to its rather fishy breath! To find out more about the lifecycle of the minke whale please go to our minke whale fact sheet page.

The minke whale has been the focus of much of HWDT’s research effort over the last few years. This includes research on dive durations, respiration rates, abundance and habitat preferences. Please look at our scientific papers page for a more comprehensive listing of previous work carried out by HWDT.

There is still much we do not know about this magnificent animal and HWDT continues to carry out research projects which aim to increase our knowledge of minke whales. Currently HWDT is undertaking two projects that focus specifically on the minke whale. Please click below to find out more about each.