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MINKE
WHALE |
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SCIENTIFIC
NAME
- Balaenoptera from the latin balaena
(that comes from the greek phalaina)
"whale" and from the greek pteron "fin"; acutorostrata from
the latin acutus "sharpened" and rostrum
"rostrum"; so "whale with fin, and sharpened rostrum".
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FAMILY
- Balaenoptaridae
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| DIMENSIONS
- The female is larger of the male, the
maximum length 9 mt (10 mt in the austral hemisphere), weight 2.5 t.
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| ASPECT
- Very hydrodinamic body, shapes many similar to the
common Finner but more stocky; flattened cuneiform head over with
sharpened extremity; airhole in rear position; high dorsal fin;
wide tail; small pectoral fins. |
| SKIN
and COLORATION - Smooth,
grey with shadings white on the back (typical with the V shape), symmetrical coloration also on jaw, white abdomen, pectoral fin
with wraps white (in the austral hemisphere can lack). |
| LONGEVITY
- Fino a 50 anni. |
| REPRODUCTION
- In the minke whales,
that complete migrations, after the conceiving that happen in winter
to the low latitudes in warm waters, the minke whale in summer migrates in
cold waters in order to make food supply in order then to return to
give birth 10 months after in warm waters. To the birth the puppy
measure approximately 2.5 mt and hung approximately 400 Kg;
the rich and abundant maternal lait will allow it to catch up the 4.5 mt in 6
months. |
| FANONS
- Medium 280 triangular fanons, long to maximum 35 cm
and wide 12, of white-yellowish color with a number of fringes from
15 to 25. |
| BREATH
- Vertical, conical shape, rather low until to 2 mt
can also not be visible. |
| SOUNDS
- The vocalization are wider that in
the finback whale with rather high frequencies also beyond to lowlands
not audible from the man. |
| FEEDING
- Varied Diet composed mostly by krill and fish in different percentages to
second of the seas in which feeds (normally more fish but in
Antarctica more krill) (Vd Feeding). |
| HABITAT
- Pelagic Cetacean,
accustomed living in opened sea, however preprefers also zones
of continental platform often is penetrated also in channels, bays and
matting. |
| SWIM
- Optimal swimmer with the maximum speed of 25 Km/h (14 nodes)
even if normally is limited to swim to approximately 7 Km/h (4 nodes),
is in degree but to constant speed to cover great distances. The
swim, like in the finback whale sees the alternting of two phases of
swim in surface and immersion; the first phase to approximately 2 m
of depth with emersions (in variable number between 2 and 6) in order
breathing, during which the body of the whale emerges with the head,
the back and until the dorsal fin at the same time; the second phase
of immersion of the duration of approximately 20 min whose beginning
is distinguibile thanks to the emersion of the caudal peduncle. The
tail does not emerge nearly never. |
| JUMPS
- Enough frequent, very
spectacular with emersion of nearly all the body, with return on a flank (breaching) or also on the head
(porpoising). |
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MIGRATIONS
- The minke whale as the finback whale is sure a cetacean able of long migrations
(also 9.000 Km), in winter brings in moderated waters and tropical
where remains and
reproduce while in summer migrates towards cold zones which the
sub-polar this migratory cycle are but, than in the finback,
not rigid with exemplary that lives in limitated areas.
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SOCIALITY
- Moderately
social Misticet, stretches to probably form homogenous groups for sex
or age because of the common interests and migratory potentialities
and of feeding. The only true tie is what alloy the mother with the
puppy, it moreover finishes with the weaning around to the 6 months
of life.
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TEMPERAMENT
- Curious animal it always get close to
to the boats for observing.
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DANGER
and PREDATORY
- Frequently attacked by killer whales (most frequent in Arctic
waters), often die for entrapment between the polar ice.
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SPECIES
DIFFUSION
- It's the more disseminated misticet
in the world numerically and geographically, is disseminated
mostly in the seas of the south (beyond 420.000), in the northern
Pacific (approximately 10.000) and in the northern Atlantic
(approximately 110.000), in the Mediterranean individuals from
Gibilterra enter occasionally and remain for more to the West.
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