Back is grey, often with lighter grey swirled markings (chevrons).

Body is slender and streamlined.

Smallest baleen whale in the North Pacific (comparable in size to killer whales). Maximum length of 9 metres.

Pectoral flippers have a distinctive white band on the top.

Dorsal fin is sharply curved and located far back on the body.

Head is slender and tapered with a prominent ridge and numerous throat pleats.

Usually solitary and often elusive.

Blows rarely visible.

Sometimes seen lunge-feeding in areas of high prey density.

Fast swimmer.

Found throughout British Columbia's waters in low density. Likely migrate to unknown areas further south in the winter.

Minke whales can be confused with blue, fin, and sei whales, but are much smaller than these species. Minke whales are commonly confused with humpback whales: humpbacks have a low, lumpy dorsal fin whereas a minke whale's dorsal fin is larger and curved. Humpback whales will frequently display their tail flukes while diving, whereas minke whales will rarely show their tail flukes.

Minke whales are seen to be quite loyal to summer feeding areas and individuals have appeared in the same site year after year.  Minke whales are individually identifiable by colouration and scarring on their dorsal surfaces and flanks, and hopefully further photo-identification will give more answers about their movements and numbers. Photo-identification work is currently being done by the Northeast Pacific Minke Whale Project.  A study conducted in the Puget Sound area of Washington State has shown that minke whales may have exclusive, adjoining home ranges. This is unknown in other baleen whales.

In the northern hemisphere, minke whales appear to be feeding primarily on small schooling fish such as herring, capelin, sandlance and pilchard.  They may also feed on krill and other zooplankton, which is the staple food for southern hemisphere minkes.  Minke whales capture their prey by lunging through concentrations of fish and krill.  Their throats are pleated, which when expanded allow large amounts of water to enter the mouth/throat cavity.  The saltwater is then expelled and the minke’s short, fringed baleen traps the food. 

Minkes are often seen feeding in the presence of bird flocks and may actually target areas where diving birds have previously schooled prey together.  Certain minkes may actually specialize in exploiting these feeding flocks.  

The distribution of minke whales in the summer months in the north Pacific seems to be determined by the distribution of their prey and they will be missing from areas where little food is available.