LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Whales (Ecotourism): Minke Whales
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Minke Whales are the smallest of the baleen whales at about 30' in length. In the Monterey Bay region, it is possible to see Minke Whales year-round, but they are most frequently sighted during the summer and fall. These whales are usually found nearshore over rocky bottom regions where they prey on juvenile rockfishes.
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Minke whales breathe air at the surface of the water through 2 blowholes located near the top of the head. At rest, minke whales spout (breathe) about 5-6 times per minute. The spout of the minke whale is a very low, almost inconspicuous stream that rises up to 6.5 feet (2 m) above the water. Minke whales start to exhaling before they reach the surface; this minimizes the blow.
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Huge factory ships processed the slaughtered whales at sea. During the 1930-31 season 30,000 blue whales were killed and processed. By the 1950s the blue whale had practically disappeared. The whalers then started hunting the smaller species such as the fin, sei and minke whales.
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The minke whale may migrate over shorter distances than the larger whales. Because the migration depends on the season, the populations on the Northern and Southern hemispheres probably never meet. When it is summer on the Northern hemisphere, the whale there migrate to the Arctic regions to feed. Since it is then winter on the Southern hemisphere, the southern whales move to the subtropical and tropical waters in that time. When the seasons change, the northern whales return to the tropics and subtropics, but by the time they get there, the southern whales have left for the cold waters of the Antarctic to feed.
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Minke whales grow to be about 25-30 feet (7.8-9 m) long, weighing about 6-7.5 tons (5.4-6.8 tonnes).. Females are about 2 feet (0.6 m) longer than males, as with all baleen whales. The largest minke whale was about 35 feet (10.5 m) long weighing 9.5 tons (8.6 tonnes).. Minke whales have a snout that is distinctively triangular, narrow, and pointed (hence its nicknames "sharp-headed finner" and "little piked whale").
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Minke whales (like all baleen whales) are seasonal feeders and carnivores. They sieve through the ocean water with their baleen. They filters out small polar plankton , krill , and small fish, even chasing schools of sardines, anchovies, cod, herring, and capelin. They have the same diet as blue whales.
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Minke Whales