Informationen über Minke Whale
Our Expert Says… "When I'm guiding I let people know about the Minke whale's habit of surfacing two or three times before diving deep to feed. If you see one come to the surface, keep looking - you'll likely get another one or two opportunities for a good sighting and a photo. They are untroubled by the Zodiacs and you can often find yourself among them as they take a break before the next feeding dive."
The name is of Norwegian origin and possibly relates to a whaler called Meincke, although this isn’t certain whales. There are two species of minke whales, the Minke Whale and the Antarctic Minke Whale.
The 'common' minke whale, in turn, is split into two sub-species. The northern Minke Whale of the northern temperate seas can reach over 10m and a weight of 9,200Kg, and the slightly smaller southern Minke Whale (to 7.8m). Also known as the Dwarf Minke Whale, it is found in southern temperate seas, but scarce south of the convergence, occurring around South America (e.g. Beagle Channel), South Africa and Australasia.
The Antarctic Minke Whale summers in Antarctic waters, but winter north of the convergence. Reaching almost 11m they are larger then the Dwarf Minke that is very unlikely in Antarctic waters. The blow of an Antarctic Minke Whale is often observed when they surface, but the blow is not normally observed in 'common' minkes.
Since minke whales are the smallest baleen whales, and they do not show their flukes, the first clue is often a glimpse of a fin, resembling a small whale or larger dolphin. They are dark grey to black in color on top, with the underside being white. The minkes of the north have a band of white across each pectoral fin. They are baleen whales, which means they use special plates in their mouth to filter their prey out of seawater before swallowing it.
Minkes are migratory, and each population will make its way towards the poles or colder waters in the spring to feed before returning to more tropical waters in the winter to mate and calve. It’s thought that the differences in seasons between the northern and southern hemispheres are what has kept the two sub-species distinct.
Minke whales are a favorite prey of orcas that specialise in hunting whales, and as they have no form of defense their only option is to flee. More often than not the minke will not escape.
The minke population is, overall, stable and common minkes are listed as being of “least concern”. However, the Antarctic minke is currently listed as “near threatened”, although a 2004 survey estimated the southern population to be over 500,000 individuals.
On Antarctic expeditions, Antarctic Minke Whales are often spotted by groups from Zodiacs as you make your way from your expedition vessel to landing sites.
Wissenswertes über Minke Whale
It was only recently that the Antarctic Minke Whale was recognised as a separate species, based on morphological differences.
Minke Whales are still hunted for the meat in certain parts of the World, and where there has bene the opposition of groups like Greenpeace. In regard to so called scientific whaling, we know a lot about the morphology of dead minkes, but surprisingly little about the life history in the wild.
Bilder von Minke Whale
