Minke whales, also known as piked whales and pikeheads, are the smallest members of the roqual family of baleen whales. They were named in jest after a German whaler, named Meincke who confused a pikehead with much larger blues. Meincke became minke. The pikehead name comes from whale's pointy snout [Source: Douglas Chadwick, National Geographic, April 2001]
Minkes are the most common baleen whale. There are around a million of them, perhaps more, around same number, it is believed, that existed before the whaling era. One survey estimated there were between 1 million and 2 million minke whales, with at least 149,000 in the North Atlantic and 760,000 in the Antarctic. Ones found in the North Atlantic and the Antarctic maybe separate species or subspecies. There is also a dwarf minke whale. At 25 feet long it is the second smallest baleen whale.
Minke whales are found in most of the world's oceans. They feed on plankton and fish. Blue whales, fin whales, and minke whales are known as gulpers. They gulp great mouthfuls of sea water and everything in it---their long furrowlike pleats on the throat and breast pouches expanding as they do. They use their tongues to push the water against their baleens, causing the water to go back out their mouths, swallowing the small animals left behind. Some whales feed on schools of small fish.
Minke whales have never been considered particularly valuable by whalers and have never been threatened or endangered. The Vikings used to trap them in bays with nets and harpoon them with poison arrows. In the 19th and 20th centuries they were largely left alone until large whales became scarce. Today, minkes are hunted by the Norwegians with fast-killing grenade-tipped harpoons fired from a laser-sighted cannon. The harpoon imbeds itself two feet in whale's flesh and produces a blast that knock the whale dead with shock waves. The Japanese hunt them in the Antarctic with a mother ship and speedy vessels.
Minke Whale Characteristics and Behavior:
Adult minkes are 22 to 33 feet in length and weigh 5 to 10 tons. They are the sleekest of the baleen whales and can swim at speeds of up to 20mph. Minke whales generally don't stay on the surface for long. They produce a spout that is so low and diffuse it is often easier to hear and smell than to see. Some say the minke whale's breath smells like over-steamed broccoli.
Minke whales make rapid grunts, growls and strange “Star-Wars-like” boi-oi-ings noises. For 15 years scientists and naval personnel could not explain a twangly, guitar-like sound that heard around the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. In the early 2000s it was determined the sound was produced by minke whales. It is theorized the sounds are produced by males to define territory, ward off male rivals or attract females.
Minke whales migrate from high latitude feeding grounds to warm water breeding areas but the exact location of their breeding grounds are unknown. Most cruise the continental shelf. Those in southern hemisphere feed on Antarctic krill while those in northern hemisphere feed on cephalopods and hang around the edge of polar ice. Minke whales are curious animals. They sometimes approach fishing vessels and get caught in nets.
Credits : Facts and Details on Minke Whales
Minkes are the most common baleen whale. There are around a million of them, perhaps more, around same number, it is believed, that existed before the whaling era. One survey estimated there were between 1 million and 2 million minke whales, with at least 149,000 in the North Atlantic and 760,000 in the Antarctic. Ones found in the North Atlantic and the Antarctic maybe separate species or subspecies. There is also a dwarf minke whale. At 25 feet long it is the second smallest baleen whale.
Minke whales are found in most of the world's oceans. They feed on plankton and fish. Blue whales, fin whales, and minke whales are known as gulpers. They gulp great mouthfuls of sea water and everything in it---their long furrowlike pleats on the throat and breast pouches expanding as they do. They use their tongues to push the water against their baleens, causing the water to go back out their mouths, swallowing the small animals left behind. Some whales feed on schools of small fish.
Minke whales have never been considered particularly valuable by whalers and have never been threatened or endangered. The Vikings used to trap them in bays with nets and harpoon them with poison arrows. In the 19th and 20th centuries they were largely left alone until large whales became scarce. Today, minkes are hunted by the Norwegians with fast-killing grenade-tipped harpoons fired from a laser-sighted cannon. The harpoon imbeds itself two feet in whale's flesh and produces a blast that knock the whale dead with shock waves. The Japanese hunt them in the Antarctic with a mother ship and speedy vessels.
Minke Whale Characteristics and Behavior:
Adult minkes are 22 to 33 feet in length and weigh 5 to 10 tons. They are the sleekest of the baleen whales and can swim at speeds of up to 20mph. Minke whales generally don't stay on the surface for long. They produce a spout that is so low and diffuse it is often easier to hear and smell than to see. Some say the minke whale's breath smells like over-steamed broccoli.
Minke whales make rapid grunts, growls and strange “Star-Wars-like” boi-oi-ings noises. For 15 years scientists and naval personnel could not explain a twangly, guitar-like sound that heard around the Great Barrier Reef in Australia. In the early 2000s it was determined the sound was produced by minke whales. It is theorized the sounds are produced by males to define territory, ward off male rivals or attract females.
Minke whales migrate from high latitude feeding grounds to warm water breeding areas but the exact location of their breeding grounds are unknown. Most cruise the continental shelf. Those in southern hemisphere feed on Antarctic krill while those in northern hemisphere feed on cephalopods and hang around the edge of polar ice. Minke whales are curious animals. They sometimes approach fishing vessels and get caught in nets.
Credits : Facts and Details on Minke Whales
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