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[[File:Antarctic Minke Whale.jpg|250px|left]]
[[File:Young Island-Balleny Islands.jpg|250px|left]]
The '''[[minke whale]]''' is a species of minke whale within the suborder of baleen whales. It is the second smallest rorqual after the common minke whale and the third smallest baleen whale. Although first scientifically described in the mid-19th century, it was not recognized as a distinct species until the 1990s. Once ignored by the [[whaling]] industry due to its small size and low oil yield, the [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] minke was able to avoid the fate of other baleen whales and maintained a large population into the 21st century, numbering in the hundreds of thousands. Surviving to become the most abundant baleen whale in the world, it is now one of the mainstays of the industry alongside its cosmopolitan counterpart the common minke. It is primarily restricted to the Southern Hemisphere (although vagrants have been reported in the North Atlantic) and feeds mainly on euphausiids.
'''[[Young Island]]''' is the northernmost and westernmost of the three main islands in the uninhabited [[Balleny Islands]] group located in the [[Southern Ocean]]. It lies 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) northwest of [[Buckle Island]], some 115 kilometers (71 mi) north-northeast of Belousov Point on the [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] mainland.


Antarctic minke whales are the main prey item of Type A [[Orca|killer whales]] in the Southern Ocean. Their remains have been found in the stomachs of killer whales caught by the Soviets, while individuals caught by the Japanese exhibited damaged flippers with tooth rake scars and parallel scarring on the body suggestive of killer whale attacks. Large groups of killer whales have also been observed chasing, attacking, and even killing Antarctic minke whales.
Young Island was annexed by [[Westarctica]] on 14 January 2005 when it annexed the entire [[Balleny Islands]] group. The island has been featured on two of Westarctica's [[Coins of Westarctica|coins]]: the first was a bronze $1 WAD coin minted in 2005 by the [[Central Bank of Westarctica]] and shows Young Island on a map of the Balleny Islands. The second coin was a brass $2 WAD coin minted in 2013 and was the last coin created by the Central Bank. That coin has an image of an [[Antarctic krill]] instead of the island itself.


'''([[Minke whale|Full Article...]])'''
'''([[Young Island|Full Article...]])'''

Latest revision as of 17:40, 29 November 2025

Young Island-Balleny Islands.jpg

Young Island is the northernmost and westernmost of the three main islands in the uninhabited Balleny Islands group located in the Southern Ocean. It lies 8 kilometers (5.0 mi) northwest of Buckle Island, some 115 kilometers (71 mi) north-northeast of Belousov Point on the Antarctic mainland.

Young Island was annexed by Westarctica on 14 January 2005 when it annexed the entire Balleny Islands group. The island has been featured on two of Westarctica's coins: the first was a bronze $1 WAD coin minted in 2005 by the Central Bank of Westarctica and shows Young Island on a map of the Balleny Islands. The second coin was a brass $2 WAD coin minted in 2013 and was the last coin created by the Central Bank. That coin has an image of an Antarctic krill instead of the island itself.

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