Difference between revisions of "Minke whale"

The Antarctic minke is among the smallest of the baleen whales, with only the common minke and the pygmy right whale being smaller. The longest caught off Brazil were an 11.9 meters (39.0 feet) female taken in 1969 and an 11.27 meters (37.0 feet) male taken in 1975, the former four feet longer than the second longest females and the latter five feet longer than the second longest males. Off South Africa, the longest measured were a 10.66 meters (35.0 feet) female and a 9.75 meters (32.0 feet) male. The heaviest caught in the Antarctic were a 9 meters (29.5 feet) female that weighed 10.4 metric tons (11.5 short tons) and an 8.4 meters (27.6 feet) male that weighed 8.8 metric tons (9.7 short tons).

Two Antarctic minke whales marked with "Discovery tags" – 26 cm (10 in) stainless steel tubes with an inscription and number engraved on them – in the [[Southern Ocean]] during the austral summer (January) were recovered a few years later off northeastern Brazil (6° – 7°S, 34°W) during the austral winter (July and September, respectively). The first was marked off Queen Maud Land (69°S 19°E) and the second southeast of the South Orkney Islands (62°S 35°W). Over twenty individuals marked with these Discovery tags showed large-scale movements around the Antarctic continent, each moving more than 30 degrees of longitude – two, in fact, had moved over 100 degrees of longitude. The first was marked off the Adélie Coast (66°S 141°E) and recovered the following season off the Princess Ragnhild Coast (68°S 26°E), a minimum of 114 degrees of longitude. The second was marked north of Cape Adare (68°S 172°E) and recovered nearly six years later northwest of the Riiser-Larsen Peninsula (68°S 32°E), a minimum of over 139 degrees of longitude. Both were marked and recovered in January.