Minke whale
A small rorqual baleen whale in the genus Balaenoptera. The name commonly covers the common minke whale and the Antarctic minke whale.
Balaenoptera: A genus of rorqual whales that includes minke whales, blue whales, and fin whales. Minke whales belong to this genus alongside the largest living whales.
Lunge feeding: A feeding method in which a whale accelerates toward prey and engulfs a large volume of water. Minke whales use this rorqual feeding strategy to capture dense prey patches.
Common minke whale: A minke whale species, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, found across much of the world's oceans. It is one of the two principal species included under the name minke whale.
Fin whale: A large rorqual species, Balaenoptera physalus, found in oceans worldwide. It shares the rorqual body plan but is much larger than a minke whale.
Commercial whaling: The large-scale hunting of whales for products such as oil, meat, and baleen. Commercial hunts targeted minke whales in several regions, particularly after larger whale stocks declined.
Baleen: Keratin plates hanging from a whale’s upper jaw that strain prey from seawater. Minke whales filter small prey with baleen rather than catching it with teeth.
Filter feeding: A feeding method that extracts small food items from water using a filtering structure. Baleen makes minke whales filter feeders, though their prey and feeding tactics vary.
Antarctic minke whale: A Southern Hemisphere minke whale species, Balaenoptera bonaerensis, associated with Antarctic waters. It is the second principal species encompassed by the broad concept.
Sei whale: A fast-swimming rorqual species, Balaenoptera borealis, found in temperate and subpolar waters. Its similar streamlined form can make it easy to confuse with a minke at sea.
International Whaling Commission: An intergovernmental body established by the 1946 International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling. Its rules and assessments govern international debate over minke whale catches.