Page 411 - (DK) Ocean - The Definitive Visual Guide

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ORDER CETACEA
Minke Whale

Balaenoptera acutorostrata
LENGTH 23–33 ft
(7–10 m)
WEIGHT 5–11 tons
(5–10 metric tons)
HABITAT Open ocean
and coastal waters
DISTRIBUTION Worldwide, except extreme north
and south

This is the smallest of the rorquals—
a name given to baleen whales that
have expandable, pleated throats. It is
also the most numerous, with a global
population as high as 1 million. Like
its much larger relative, the blue whale,
it has a torpedo-shaped body with a
single dorsal fin set far back, toward
its tail. It is gray or brown above, with
a paler underside, and short, pointed
flippers that may have a white band.
Minke whales live alone or in
small groups. They are naturally
inquisitive and regularly approach
boats. They eat small fish and
planktonic animals and, like other
rorquals, they feed mainly in cold-
water regions, eating much less during
the breeding season, when they
migrate toward the tropics. The minke
is the only rorqual that is still hunted
commercially, despite a moratorium
observed by most member countries
of the International Whaling
Commission (IWC).

WHALE SONG

Like all whales, mature male humpbacks use
sound to communicate. They produce the longest,
most complex sound sequences of any animal, with
each “song” lasting up to 30 minutes. The song is
heard miles away by other humpbacks. Each
regional population has its own song, sung only in OCEAN LIFE
the breeding season. To sing, the whale vibrates air
inside itself, but exactly how is not known, because
whales have no vocal cords.