File:SBNMS_-_Minke_Whale_-_Breach_(28670557361).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
minke whale
Sign in to saveAlso known as Balaenoptera acutorostrata, Common minke whale
species of mammal
OverviewAI-generated
The minke whale, scientifically named *Balaenoptera acutorostrata*, is a species of marine mammal described by Lacépède in 1804. It belongs to the family Balaenopteridae within the order Cetartiodactyla and class Mammalia. Common names for this taxon include Common minke whale, Ballena Minke, Rorcual Menor, and Baleinoptère à museau pointu. The species is diurnal and has a gestation period of 10.5 months.
The lineage of the minke whale dates back to about 4 million years ago. It is listed in Appendix I of CITES and holds a conservation status of Least Concern according to the IUCN Red List assessment from 2018. The taxon is accepted by WoRMS, and its habitat is marine.
Synthesized by Vinony from 27 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, IUCN Red List, PubMed, WoRMS, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.
Species
Least Concernbagwhale
Species
- PhylumChordata
- ClassMammalia
- OrderCetartiodactyla
- FamilyBalaenopteridae
Maximum longevity: 50 years (wild) Observations: These animals have been estimated to live up to 50 years in the wild (Bernhard Grzimek 1990).
via IUCN
Research
309 papers- Killer whale predation on an Antarctic minke whale in the northern Antarctic Peninsula.Anais da Academia Brasileira de Ciencias · 2024Seyboth E, Bassoi M, Lima RC et al.DOI: 10.1590/0001-3765202420230731
- Multiaxial movements at the minke whale temporomandibular joint.Journal of morphology · 2020Werth AJ, Ito H, Ueda KDOI: 10.1002/jmor.21107
- Minke whale genome and aquatic adaptation in cetaceans.Nature genetics · 2014Yim HS, Cho YS, Guang X et al.DOI: 10.1038/ng.2835
- Minke whale feeding rate limitations suggest constraints on the minimum body size for engulfment filtration feeding.Nature ecology & evolution · 2023Cade DE, Kahane-Rapport SR, Gough WT et al.DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-01993-2
- Characterization of Common Minke Whale (Balaenoptera Acutorostrata) Cell Lines Immortalized with the Expression of Cell Cycle Regulators.Advanced biology · 2024Sekine A, Yasunaga G, Kumamoto S et al.DOI: 10.1002/adbi.202300227
- Cellular Composition of the Brain of a Northern Minke Whale.The Journal of comparative neurology · 2025Avelino-de-Souza K, Patzke N, Karlsson KÆ et al.DOI: 10.1002/cne.70089
- The genome sequence of the minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata Lacépède, 1804.Wellcome open research · 2024Brownlow A, Davison NJ, Morin PA et al.DOI: 10.12688/wellcomeopenres.23367.1
- Lombard effect: Minke whale boing call source levels vary with natural variations in ocean noise.The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2020Helble TA, Guazzo RA, Martin CR et al.DOI: 10.1121/10.0000596
via PubMed
~40 min read
Encyclopedic overview
The common minke whale or northern minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is a species of minke whale within the suborder of baleen whales.
It is the smallest species of the rorquals and the second smallest species of baleen whale. Although first ignored by whalers due to its small size and low oil yield, it began to be exploited by various countries beginning in the early 20th century. As other species declined, larger numbers of common minke whales were caught, largely for their meat. It is now one of the primary targets of the whaling industry. There is a dwarf form in the Southern Hemisphere.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “minke whale” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.
Gallery (13)
On the map
5 mapped locations