Description
The common minke whale is the smallest of the rorquals, and one of the smallest baleen whales (second smallest only to the Pygmy Right Whale). At sexual maturity, Northern Hemisphere males average about 6.9 m (22.5 ft) and females 7.3 m (24 ft). In the North Atlantic, the average size at physical maturity is 8 m (26 ft) for males and 8.5 m (28 ft) for females, while maximum lengths are 8.8 m (29 ft) and 9.1 m (30 ft), respectively. At birth they are 2.6-2.8 m (8.5-9 ft) in length. For the dwarf form, the longest reported lengths are 7.62 m (25 ft) for males and 7.77 (25.5 ft) for females.
The back is dark grey and the belly white. All forms have a pale chevron above the flippers or behind the head. All forms also have a white or light marking on each flipper. On the dwarf form the white marking covers most of the flipper. On the northern forms, there is a distinct white band running horizontally through the middle of each flipper.
The common minke whale differs from the Antarctic variety in several aspects. The common species is slightly smaller than the Antarctic, which has much less white marking on the flippers. There are also less distinctive differences in body coloration and shape.
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