Stranded minke whales can be most readily identified by: 1) their small size (to just over 30 feet [9.1 m]); 2) the transverse white bands on the flippers; 3) the yellowish-white baleen plates (up to half the posteriormost plates may be brown or black), 300-325 per side in number and having fine white bristles (the plates are up to 4.75 inches [12 cm] wide at the base and up to 8 inches [20.3 cm] long); and 4) by the 50-70 thin ventral grooves, ending well before the navel, often just even with the flippers.
[Illustration: Figure 62.--The minke whale, at a maximum length of just over 30 feet (9.1 m), the smallest baleen whale species of the western North Atlantic, is distributed in polar, temperate, and tropical waters. These animals usually have a low, inconspicuous blow and are sometimes curious enough about boats that they will alter their course to investigate them. Note the two areas of light gray on the sides of the body, characteristic of at least Pacific minke whales. (_Photo from off British Columbia, courtesy of_ Nanaimo Free Press.)]
[Illustration: Figure 63.--Three views of minke whales at sea. In all note the transverse band of white on the flippers and the sharply pointed head. Note the gray chevron visible on the back (top), the absence of a conspicuous blow and the appearance of the prominent dorsal fin on the surface while the blowholes are still exposed (middle), and the distinctive regions of light gray on the sides (bottom). (_Photos from off San Diego, Calif. by G. E. Lingle (top); from the northern West Indies by H. E. Winn (middle); and from the western Pacific by Japanese Whales Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura (bottom)._)]
[Illustration: Figure 64.--Minke whales are also known as sharp-headed finners. On this animal from the North Pacific, note the sharply pointed head and the single central head ridge. (_Photo by Japanese Whales Research Institute, courtesy of H. Omura._)]
[Illustration: Figure 65.--A minke whale stranded at Santa Barbara, Calif. Note the dark back, the white-banded flipper, and the 60-70 fine ventral grooves extending to just behind the flippers. The short, white baleen plates are visible in the open mouth. (_Photo by S. Anderson._)]