Illustration of minke whale
variants
or less commonly minke
: a small gray to black baleen whale (genus Balaenoptera) with a whitish underside and a relatively narrow, pointed snout:
a
: one (B. acutorostrata) chiefly of the northern hemisphere
called also common minke whale, northern minke whale
b
: one (B. bonaerensis) of the southern hemisphere that was formerly classified in the same species as the northern form
called also Antarctic minke, southern minke whale
see rorqual
Examples of minke whale in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Last weekend, a minke whale was found dead in Long Beach’s Rainbow Harbor.
—
Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2025
Earlier this month, a minke whale that spent days swimming in Long Beach Harbor died — despite efforts by marine wildlife experts to reroute it back to deeper waters.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Without the recognition that whales are artiodactyls, the relevance of those ancient, hoofed creatures to the origin of whales would have been entirely missed and paleontologists would still be wondering where orcas and minke whales came from.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2025
In 2024, Alex Dawson was named overall winner for his image of minke whale bones in shallow waters off eastern Greenland.
—Jack Guy, CNN, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for minke whale
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Erika I. Ritchie, Oc Register, 12 Apr. 2025
Earlier this month, a minke whale that spent days swimming in Long Beach Harbor died — despite efforts by marine wildlife experts to reroute it back to deeper waters.
—Melody Petersen, Los Angeles Times, 12 Apr. 2025
Without the recognition that whales are artiodactyls, the relevance of those ancient, hoofed creatures to the origin of whales would have been entirely missed and paleontologists would still be wondering where orcas and minke whales came from.
—Riley Black, Smithsonian Magazine, 9 Apr. 2025
In 2024, Alex Dawson was named overall winner for his image of minke whale bones in shallow waters off eastern Greenland.
—Jack Guy, CNN, 21 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for minke whale
Cite this Entry
“Minke whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/minke%20whale. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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