Minke whale  Balaenoptera acutorostrata

Minke whales can be found worldwide and are regular summer visitors to Washington’s inland waters.  They can often be seen along The Whale Trail in the San Juan Islands and are sometimes spotted from sites along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, such as Salt Creek Recreation Area or Sekiu Overlook.

The Minke whale’s dorsal fin is tall and curved and its flippers are narrow and pointed with a variable white patch.  Minke whales have dark gray to brown backs and white undersides.  They have lighter streaks on their mid-back and a light chevron marking behind the head. Their gestation period is 10 to 11 months and Minke whales become sexually mature at about 6 years.

Minke whales prey on krill and small schooling fish like anchovies, sand lance and herring.  They may be solitary or found in small groups in feeding areas.  Minke whales are fast swimmers and  sometimes curiously approach vessels.  Occasionally they breach.

Transient killer whales often prey on Minke whales.  While Minke whales are still hunted by Japan and Norway, their main threats are entanglement in fishing gear, ship strikes, and depletion of food sources.

Books:

Minke Whales (WorldLife Library Series) by A. Rus Hoelzel and S. Jonathan Stern, 2000

Biology and Exploitation of the Minke Whale by Joseph Horwood, 1989

Minke Whales (Whales Set II) by Kristin Petrie, 2005

Links:

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/minkewhale.htm

www.acsonline.org/factpack/MinkeWhale.htm

www.northeastpacificminke.org

Hoelzel, R. and J. Stern, 2000. Minke Whales. WordLife Library, Voyageur Press.

Perrin, W. F. and R. L. Brownell. 2009, Minke Whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata and B. bonaerensis, in Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals (Perrin et al. Eds.), pp. 733-735. Academic Press.

Wynne K. 1993. Guide to Marine Mammals of Alaska. Alaska Sea Grant.

Osborne, R. et al. 1988. A Guide to the Marine Mammals of the Greater Puget Sound. Island Publishers.

http://www.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/species/mammals/cetaceans/minkewhale.htm

www.acsonline.org/factpack/MinkeWhale.htm

www.northeastpacificminke.org