Minke Whales: Balaenoptera acutorostrata and B. bonaerensis

Summary Minke whales include two (or maybe three) species that are the smallest rorqual in the baleen whale family. They have antitropical distributions in the Northern and Southern Hemisphere. They are opportunistic feeders on fish and krill, and can be found in ice-choked waters, possibly because their main predator, killer whales, are not common there. Minke whales were not hunted much in the past, because of their small size, but as larger species became depleted, hunting of minke whales as increased.