| Minke Whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata (Lacépède, 1804)) |
|
|
|
Scientific name: Balaenoptera acutorostrata (Lacépède, 1804) Common name: Minke Whale Other names: Lesser Rorqual French name: Baleine de Minke, Petit rorqual, Rorqual à museau pointu. Family: Balaenopteridae Size: Body size: 6 to 9 metres long when adult; Weight: 5 to 8 tons. Biotope: Oceans. Food: Krill and small fishes. Longevity : Between 30 and 40 years. Geographic area: North Atlantic. From the Mediterranean Sea and the Lesser Antilles in the south, to the Arctic ice in the north. |
The Minke Whale has a fusiform body. It is black or dark grey on the upper side and white on the underside. The flanks are grey. The head is small and ends with a pointed snout. The dorsal fin has a fairly pronounced hook shape. There is a white marking on each of the pectoral fins. The dorsal fin of the Minke Whale is often clearly visible but its tail does not come out of the water when it dives. The Antarctic Minke Whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis), also called Minke Whale, is very similar. However, it does not always show any white marking on the pectoral fins. |
| [To know more about the Minke Whale] [Next picture] [Top] |
|
Our stay in Iceland did not include any visit of Húsavík but it was rather oriented towards the inland volcanic areas. We had to change our plan because of the eruption of Bárðarbunga. So we went on a boat tour in the bay. The Minke Whales only let us see a very small part of their anatomy. This photo shows the maximum we could see. |
| [To know more about the Minke Whale] [Next picture] [Previous picture] [Top] |
|
Here is a more distant photo which shows a little more of the landscape of the Húsavík bay. |
| [To know more about the Minke Whale] [Next picture] [Previous picture] [Top] |
|
The confluence of the Saguenay Fjord and St. Lawrence Estuary is a hot spot for sea mammal watching. We observed this Minke Whale from the shore at the Pointe-Noire Interpretation and Observation Centre. We therefore contented ourselves with this nice observation without taking a boat trip. |
| [To know more about the Minke Whale] [Next picture] [Previous picture] [Top] |
|
The presence of a school of small fish or other food must certainly explain the circles in the water of this Minke Whale in a very small perimeter. |
| [To know more about the Minke Whale] [Previous picture] [Top] |
|
The head and tail are always under water. We will therefore content ourselves with this nice view of the fin. |
André Bon March 2023