Common Minke Whale — printable fact sheet
Free to print or save as PDF. Great for classrooms, homeschooling, and young explorers.
Creature Atlas
Animal Fact Sheet
Name: ____________________
Date: ____________________
Common Minke Whale
Balaenoptera acutorostrata
Balaenoptera acutorostrata is the smallest of the true rorquals in the Northern Hemisphere, a compact, sharply pointed baleen whale rarely more than about 9 m long, and it is now the whale most likely to end up on a plate — Norway, Iceland and Japan all target it commercially, p…
Did you know?
- Despite their large size, minke whales can be extremely elusive and are often heard rather than seen, thanks to their low, inconspicuous blows.
- The species name acutorostrata means "sharp-snouted," and the pointed rostrum is the quickest way to tell a minke from any other rorqual at a distance. Minkes can hold a lunge-feeding rate that means they surface and dive again in under a minute, giving observers only a fleeting look at the arched back and small hooked fin. Because they are small, they can feed in shallow coastal water and under sea ice where larger rorquals cannot follow. The "boing" call baffled US Navy hydrophone operators from the 1950s onward and was not confidently attributed to minke whales until 2002.
What I learned
Draw the common minke whale
© Creature Atlas · www.creatureatlas.com · Free for classroom & personal use
Want the whole set?
Get printable fact-sheet packs, coloring pages, and classroom worksheet bundles for dozens of animals — ready to download and print.
Browse printable packsGet a free printable each week
Join the newsletter for a new Creature of the Week + printables.