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Wildlife Sightings Blog
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Whale and
Dolphin watching on the Isle of Mull
Minke Whale
Smallest of the Rorqual whales and second
smallest of the Baleen whale these whales are summer visitors to
the Hebrides. They reach lengths of 7-10 metres, and can be
identified by their long dark grey back and small hooked dorsal
fin situated about 2/3rds of the way along the back. Unlike some
other whales it is very unusual to see a Minke Whale blow and you
will never see them raise their tail fluke out of the water. The
body of a Minke Whale is streamlined and dark grey on the back
with a pale underneath and white bands on the top of their
pectoral (side) fins, and like all the other baleen whales they
have 2 blow-holes.
Minke Whales can be seen around the Hebrides from April until
September and visit our waters to feed. They feed on a range of
fish species, including sandeels and herring, they will also feed
on some plankton. Minke Whales feed by engulfing large volumes of
both water and prey, they then use their baleen plates as a sieve
which traps the food as they push the water out of their mouth. A
Minke whale will have on average 230-360 baleen plates on either
side of the upper jaw, these are made of keratin, the same
substance as human hair and nails and are used as a sieve during
feeding. Due to this method of feeding, small particles of food
get trapped in the baleen plates and can cause you to smell the
whale before you see it. With breath that smells like a
combination of fish and rotting cabbage, it's easy to see why
Minke Whales have been nicknamed 'stinky minkes'.
Minke Whales tend to surface between 3 and 8 times before they go
for a longer foraging dive. When they surface just before the
longer dive you will often notice the back looks more arched and
more of the animal behind the dorsal fin is visible. They tend to
spend 3-8 minutes underwater during a longer dive, however the
record is 20 minutes, and they can travel at 15 mph. Minke Whales
tend to be solitary, however when feeding it is possible to see
more together and a mother and calf will stay relatively close for
about 2 years.
Despite being one of the most widely distributed whales and being
naturally inquisitive it is still unclear exactly where the whales
we see spend the winter months. However it is suggested that they
go to the warmer tropical waters, which will be their breeding
grounds. However they won't go much further South than the
equator. This is because it has recently been proven that there
are two distinct Minke Whale species, the common Minke Whale,
found in the Northern Hemisphere and the Antarctic or Southern
Minke Whale. Similar to our Minke Whale, the Antarctic Minke Whale
spends the winter months in the tropical waters around the equator
and then heads for cooler water during the summer. The common
Minke Whale has now also been separated into 3 subspecies, the
North Atlantic, the North Pacific and the Dwarf Minke Whale of
which the North Atlantic is the most numerous with an estimate of
over 100,000 individuals in the north-eastern Atlantic.
Minke Whale numbers around the Hebrides have been seen to decrease
over the last few years, although there is no definite proof it is
likely to be caused by a decrease in food availability. Having
said that the Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust has now catalogued
over 65 individual whales that have visited the Hebridean waters.
Then have done this using pictures of the whale's dorsal fins that
often have identifiable marks, such as notches and scars. So if
you are lucky enough to get pictures of Minke Whales during your
holidays to the Hebrides please contact the Hebridean Whale and
Dolphin Trust, they may be able to identify the individual for
you, or even if not you will still be helping with vital research.
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