Facts about Minke Whale

1. 07

   Minke whale calves weigh approximately 1,000 pounds at birth and double their body weight within their first month of nursing on fat-rich milk.

   Minke WhaleMay 14sharebiologyreproductionmeasurement
2. 06

   Minke whale hearts weigh approximately 400 pounds and pump blood through a circulatory system designed to withstand extreme deep-diving pressures exceeding 1,000 pounds per square inch.

   Minke WhaleMay 14shareanatomyphysiologybiology
3. 05

   Minke whales reach sexual maturity between ages 7 and 8, with females producing a single calf every 2 to 3 years after a 10-month gestation period.

   Minke WhaleMay 14sharereproductionbiologylifecycle
4. 04

   Populations in the North Atlantic and North Pacific migrate up to 16,000 miles annually between polar feeding grounds and tropical breeding waters.

   Minke WhaleMay 14sharemigrationbehaviormeasurement
5. 03

   Minke whales produce distinctive underwater vocalizations called boups and short calls at frequencies between 50 and 400 hertz to communicate across ocean distances.

   Minke WhaleMay 14sharecommunicationbiologyacoustics
6. 02

   During summer feeding season, a single minke whale consumes up to 880 pounds of krill and fish daily to build blubber reserves for migration.

   Minke WhaleMay 14sharedietbiologybehavior
7. 01

   The smallest baleen whale species, minke whales reach only 26 to 34 feet in length, making them roughly the size of a large school bus.

   Minke WhaleMay 14sharemeasurementbiologycomparison