Dwarf Minke Whale Sighting
On our Sunday the 27th of August 2023 whale watching cruise, our lucky passengers had a rare interaction with the dwarf-minke whale. Our AQWA marine biologist Brooke Lloyd explains why this sighting was so special.
The dwarf-minke whale is currently an unnamed subspecies of the common Minke whale. It’s species name acutorostrata in Latin translates to “with a sharp snout”. The Dwarf Minke is only found in the southern hemisphere alongside the Antarctic Minke which is commonly referred to as the “dark shoulder Minke” due to its colouration. Therefore, based on the beautiful, white-coloured pectoral fins witnessed during the tour, the three Minke’s sighted were dwarf Minke whales. The three whales sighted were estimated to be about 7 metres long, with this subspecies only reaching 8 metres, they are assumed to be adult whales.
Belonging to the same family as the Humpback, Dwarf Minke’s are baleen whales, who filter feed to eat. Assumed to undertake a similar migration as the Humpbacks, feeding in southern cold waters and breeding in northern warm waters. However, there is not enough evidence to plot migration patterns for dwarf minke whales currently.
The interaction on board lasted for about half an hour with 3 dwarf minkes circling the boat. One in particular was very keen on the vessel, surfacing as close as 2-3 metres away on multiple occasions.
The sighting information has been passed onto Emily Evans who is currently conducting her PhD on Dwarf Minke whales off Western Australia and also working alongside colleagues in Queensland who run the Minke Whale Project. Little is known about Dwarf Minke’s in general, but specifically a lot less is known about the west coast population compared to the east coast Australian population. The amazing encounter not only excited whale watchers on board the trip, but the sighting itself has aided in the research and understanding of the Dwarf Minke whale population and migration dynamics.