Animal of the Month

1. Minke whales filter their food through "baleen" – sieve-like devices in their upper jaws. An adult minke can have between 230 and 360 baleen plates.
2. Minke whales are the smallest of the great whales – yet they are bigger than an African elephant. Minke whales weigh approximately 10 tonnes!
3. They can be found in all the world's oceans, from the Arctic to the Antarctic.
4. Minke whales can swim at speeds of up to 20 kilometres an hour. They move slowly when resting and only break the surface of the water to breathe.
5. Minke whales are threatened by commercial fishing and pollution. They can also be injured or killed when accidentally caught in fishing gear.
6. Killer whales have been known to attack minke whales.
7. Only in the last 10 years have scientists recognised that Northern Hemisphere and Southern Hemisphere minkes are different species.
8. Minke whales are inquisitive, and the younger ones sometimes approach boats.
9. Minke whales spend time in small groups of two or three but are solitary creatures and are usually observed swimming alone.
10. In UK waters, it is illegal to intentionally kill, injure, capture or harass any species of whale or dolphin, but minke whales are still hunted in Antarctic and North Atlantic waters by people in countries including Norway, Japan and Iceland.