Dwarf minke whale

How it lives

The dwarf minke whale is a small baleen whale that filters krill and small fish from the water. It is a Southern Hemisphere form of the common minke whale. On the northern Great Barrier Reef, many come close to still boats and swimmers by their own choice, sometimes for a long time. Not every whale does this, and many of the whales that approach are younger animals.

Where it goes

Each southern winter, dwarf minke whales visit the northern Great Barrier Reef. About 90% of sightings are in June and July, mostly between Agincourt and the Ribbon Reefs north of Cairns. Some individuals return again and again.

We only draw a journey on the map when scientists have tracked it or clearly documented it. For this animal we have not found one yet.

Populations

Dwarf minke whales live elsewhere in the Southern Hemisphere too, but the predictable winter gathering on the northern Great Barrier Reef and Ribbon Reefs is special to that area and is not found everywhere. It has no scientific name of its own yet, and it is not the same as the Antarctic minke whale.