Description

Minke Whale Skull Mount. Skull sold separately.

The Minke Whale or Balaenoptera acutorostra is the widest Baleen whale of all oceans and adjoining seas. The minke whale is a black, gray and purple color. Common minke whales (Northern Hemisphere variety) are distinguished from other whales by a white band on each flipper.

The body is usually black or dark-gray above and white underneath. Minke whales or Balaenoptera acutorostra have between 240 and 360 baleen plates on each side of their mouths. Most of the length of the back, including dorsal fin and blowholes, appears at once when the whale surfaces to breathe.

The Minke Whale or Balaenoptera acutorostra breathes three to five times at short intervals before ‘deep-diving’ for two to 20 minutes. Deep dives are preceded by a pronounced arching of the back. The maximum swimming speed of minkes has been estimated at 24 mph.

Minke whales or Balaenoptera acutorostra in the north Atlantic are observed to take a variety of food items. Before 1993, minke whales in the north Barents Sea fed predominantly on capelin until stocks collapsed and the whales switched to krill as their primary prey type.

The minke whale or Balaenoptera acutorostra population in the Norwegian Sea primarily feeds on adult herring while krill, capelin, and sand eels are also recorded prey.

In Scotland, sand eels are the most commonly observed prey species, followed by herring and sprat. Seasonal variations are observed off of Finnmark, with krill the most popular prey type in the summer and cod in the autumn.

Antarctic minke whales or Balaenoptera acutorostra mainly feeds on Antarctic krill in offshore areas and ice krill in coastal areas on the continental shelf such as the Ross sea and Prydz bay.

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Additional information

Weight 12 lbs
Dimensions 39 × 27 × 2.5 in