Where do Minke whales fit into the whale family tree?
The minke whale is the smallest baleen whale with 50-70 throat grooves. It is a rorqual whale (baleen whale with throat grooves). They are the most abundant baleen whale (world wide population estimated to be close to 800 000). Minke whales have a characteristic white band on each flipper, contrasting with its very dark gray top color. They have 2 blowholes, like all baleen whales. Other baleen whales are humpbacks and right whales. What do they feed on? Minke whales (like all baleen whales) are seasonal feeders and carnivores. They sieve through the ocean water with their baleen. They filter out small plankton, krill and small fish, even chasing schools of sardines, anchovies, cod, herring, and capelin. They have the same diet as blue whale (largest member of the baleen whales). The baleen plates in the minke whale’s jaws have about 300 pairs of short, smooth baleen plates. The largest plates are about less than 30 cm long and 13 cm wide. The fine textured baleen bristles are fringed
