Vikval | Minke whale

Vikval | Minke whale - Poster print
Water colour illustration - Global species collection


Size: A3 paper
High quality silk paper (200gsm)

Below the water colour illustration, there is a single text line with knowledge about the species. You'll find the common species names in multiple languages and its latin species name (see below) and also information about the size of the species, for females and males.

Swedish: Vikval
English: Minke whale
Gaelige: An Droimeiteach beag
Norwegian: Vågehval
Danish: Vågehval
French: Petit rorqual
Finnish: Lahtivalas
Spanish: Rorcual aliblanco

Latin species name: Balaenoptera acutorostrata

About Minke whales:
The Minke whale is the second smallest baleen whale, reaching up to about 9.5m. The most modern genetic classification separates minke whales into two species - the Northern minke whale (in the illustration) and the Southern (Balaenoptera bonaerensis). Thereafter, the Northern is further classified into two or three subspecies; the North Atlantic minke whale, the North Pacific minke whale and dwarf minke whale.  Except from their relatively small size, minke whales can be distinguished from other whales by the clear crisp white band on each flipper. In the North Atlantic they feed mainly on krill, capelin, herring, sand eels, sprat. Killer whales are a natural predator, and they undergo seasonal migration routes to the poles during spring. The difference between the timing of the seasons is thought to prevent the two closely related species from mixing. 

The Global Species Collection aims to highlight species that are familiar to many, as they are worldspread and in many places numerous. In many geographical regions, they have played, and still play, important roles in human cultures, and they have common names in many languages. They occur globally, which also means they are uniquely adapted for a wide range of environments. They are some of the most loved and charismatic species, still they hold many secrets left for science to unveil.