Minke Whales

The minke whale is the smallest and most abundant of the rorquals – baleen whales with fibrous hair-like baleen plates instead of teeth and pleated throats used for gulp feeding. They are much smaller than other whales found in British waters, averaging in length between 7-10 metres, with females growing slightly larger than the males. They have a narrow, pointed triangular head with a central ridge. The dorsal fin is relatively tall, sickle-shaped, and situated nearly two-thirds of the way along the back which can be seen at the same time as their 2-3 metre high blow. The head and body are dark grey to black but with lighter grey on the flanks, and distinctive white “armbands” on the pectoral fins. In recent years we have seen a notable increase of sightings of minke whales in the waters near Padstow, with the peak time for seeing them around April and early May, although they can be seen throughout the year.