🌿 Environment Aug 3, 2026 · John R. Platt

Whale of the Month: Minke Whale

The Revelator
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Whale of the Month: Minke Whale
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What whale are we talking about this month?
Thanks for asking. Last month we talked about Rice’s whales, one of the rarest whale species. This time I wanted to talk about the more commonly seen minke whale — in fact, that’s their official name, common minke whales (Balaenoptera acutorostrata).
NOAA Fisheries
So … they’re common?
Yeah, kind of. No whale species are exactly common these days, but minkes have a population of around 180,000. Their extinction risk has been assessed as “least concern.

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