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photos of minke
whales
To see more minke whale
pictures, click here
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dwarf minke whale underwater stock
agency photos |
pictures of dwarf minke whales
Balaenoptera acutorostrata from Australia |
vertical high resolution photo of tail flukes of minke
whale |
the dwarf minke whale is one of the
smaller baleen whales now being hunted |
|
common
name |
Minke
Whale |
| scientific
name |
Balaenoptera
acutorostrata |
| range |
world-wide,
tropical to polar seas |
viewing
hotspots |
Australia's
Great Barrier Reef, Iceland |
| habitat |
open ocean, coastal |
| size |
to
33 feet (10m), 10 tons |
| diet |
krill |
| trivia |
most
abundant of the rorqual whales; 230-360 baleen plates on each side of
its jaw; 3 geographically isolated stocks (N. Pacific, N. Atlantic, and
southern hemisphere) |
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Annual visitors to
Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Dwarf Minke Whales, Balaenoptera
acutorostrata subspecies, are among the smallest of the world’s
baleen whales. Averaging 20 feet in length and five tons, they have
a streamlined profile, sharply pointed snout, and are marked by a
characteristic white patch on the pectoral flipper that often
extends onto the shoulder.
Seemingly quite curious, these cetaceans
are regularly reported making close approaches to lucky swimmers and
boats in the northern reaches of the GBR during the winter months of
June through August. With such close encounters attracting the
attention of whale watchers, divers, and researchers around the
globe, Australia has developed a "swim-with-whales"
program, closely monitored and regulated to insure people and boats
do not negatively impact the whales.
Meanwhile, the dwarf’s larger minke
cousins in Antarctic and North Atlantic waters are currently the
focus of a renewed slaughter by Japan and Norway. In open opposition
to the global moratorium passed by the International Whaling
Commission (IWC) 20 years ago, these two countries have been
steadily escalating their commercial hunts, the Japanese under the
guise of much needed "scientific research" and as part of
a "management program to maintain ecological balance."
Though most of the world recognizes this lame propaganda for what it
really is- a license to kill, simple profit through exploitation-
hundreds of whales are "culled" each year, their meat
ending up in the market for those with discriminating palettes. |
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| KEYWORDS
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minke, whale, whales, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, cetacean, cetaceans, marine mammal, marine
mammals, rorqual, rorquals, balaenopteridae, underwater, photo, photos,
photograph, photographs, picture, pictures, stock, photography, marine |
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