Antarctic Minke Whale
The Antarctic Minke Whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) is one of two species of Minke Whales within the Rorqual family. They are also known as the Southern Minke Whale. This species of whale is considered ‘data deficient’ by the IUCN, but population estimates are around 500,000.
In comparison to other Rorquals and Baleen Whales, the Antarctic Minke Whale is one of the smaller species. The range of lengths for adult Antarctic Minke Whales are from 7.2 meters to 10.5 meters. The weight of this whale ranges from 5.8 tons to 9.1 tons. Females tend to be about 1 meter longer than their male counterparts.
The back of the Antarctic Minke Whale is a dart grey in color, while their bellies are white. Their flippers have a white leading edge on them, but the rest is a dark grey. The Antarctic Minke Whale also has a double strip of lighter grey on each side of their bodies that start at their belly and rise up their sides.
Antarctic Minke Whale Habitat
The distribution range of the Antarctic Minke Whale is all oceans in the southern hemisphere. During the summer months, they tend to swim closer to Antarctica, while they move more northern in the winter months. During the winter, their more northern area overlaps with the Common Minke Whale.
Antarctic Minke Whale Classification
| - Kingdom: Animalia |
| - Phylum: Chordata |
| - Class: Mammalia |
| - Subclass: Eutheria |
| - Order: Cetacea |
| - Suborder: Mysticeti |
| - Family: Balaenopteridae |
| - Genus: Balaenoptera |
| - Species: Balaenoptera bonaerensis |