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Minke whale surfacing in calm blue waters with visible splash of water.
Close-up of a whale's head emerging from the ocean surface with visible blowhole.
Close-up of a whale surfacing with water splashing, showing its blowhole and smooth gray skin.
A whale's head partially emerges from the calm blue ocean surface.

Minke Whale

General Information
Life Span
50 years
Occurrence in Faro
Resident; seen mostly during spring
Pod Composition
solitary or 2-3 individuals
Max Speed
37 km/h
Max Size
9.8
Sightings
Common
Diet
primarily krill, other crustaceans and small schooling fish
Dive
max 20min
Close-up of a whale surfacing with water splashing, showing its blowhole and smooth gray skin.
A whale partially submerged in the blue ocean water.
Whale dorsal fin emerging above blue ocean water.
Whale surfacing in blue ocean water with part of its body visible.
A whale partially submerged in blue ocean water with visible dorsal fin.
A large whale partially submerged in the ocean, dorsal fin visible above water.

MINKE WHALE

Balaenoptera acutorostrata

The minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is the smallest rorqual in the Northern Hemisphere, reaching up to 9.8 metres in length. It has a streamlined body and a pointed head, with lighter patches on the flippers, making it relatively easy to identify. Its blow is weak and easy to miss, often disappearing quickly as the whale surfaces. This species occurs in both offshore and coastal waters worldwide and is considered a resident along the Portuguese coast. In the Faro region, they are most often sighted feeding during spring. Their diet consists mostly of small schooling fish, which they capture near the surface with swift gulping movements.

All Baleen whales