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Minke Whale

Minke Whale line art illustration (click image to enlarge)

Minke Whale full color illustration (click image to enlarge)

Artist's notes:

The Minke Whale was completed on 9.22.2010. Whales are always a tricky subject, as obviously one can't realistically hope to sketch them in the wild, so you have to rely upon photos and models mostly. Occasionally you'll get lucky and a local museum or aquarium will have a life-size replica. This drawing of a Minke Whale is based on a photo by the talented underwater photographer Scott Portelli

Information about the Minke Whale:

The Minke Whale - as called the  Lesser Rorqual - is a marine mammal of the order Cetacea. It is often classified as two species - the Common Minke Whale and the Antarctic Minke Whale. It is the second smallest of the baleen whales (only the aptly named Pygmy Whale is smaller) Minke Whales grow to be about 23-35 feet long with the males a being little longer. Adults will generally weigh 3-5 tons. These cetaceans are widely distributed throughout the world's oceans, and can be found from the poles to the tropics. They occasionally will come near coastal areas, but it appears they tend to prefer the open oceans. Due to whaling these large ocean going mammals, were at one times considered endangered, but thanks to the ban on whaling - respected by most countries - their numbers have rebounded and their numbers are stable.