#balaenopterid

[namu-the-orca]

A multitude of minkes

Sorry for the long quiet here, guys. I’ve been very busy with my train driver’s license, as well as setting up a new aquarium and taking care of the residents. I haven’t been painting at all these months, but I’ll try to upload previously made art a bit more often! 

Like this trio; as you may know I completed two pretty big commissions last year, and between them I got to paint all three species of minke whales again. The common minke I’ve painted several times before, the Dwarf and Antarctic not so much. The latter two are based on my previous paintings of them, so they may seen a bit familiar. I’m fascinated by the tiger stripes both possess. The Dwarf minke, though well known and vastly different looking from the Common minke, has yet to receive a scientific name. I hope you’ll enjoy these small but incredibly beautiful baleen whales.

[namu-the-orca]

Sei whale (Balaenoptera borealis)

This one I actually like, a lot. The greyhound of the ocean (oops not really that’s actually the fin whale) - better known as the sei whale. They get this nickname from their speed: thanks to their immensely strong tails and slim bodies, seis are amongst the fastest of all cetaceans, capable of reaching 50 km/h in short bursts. The name 'sei' itself comes from the Norwegian word for Pollock ('Seje'), a fish whose arrival in Norwegian waters roughly coincides with that of the sei whales. Compared to other rorquals, sei whales are quite different in terms of their movements and distribution. All around the world they are known for their unpredictable nature, sometimes showing up in an area in great numbers, only to disappear and not be seen again for years of even decades. They also have the broadest range of prey of all balaenopterids, feeding on krill, fish and copepods, and are the only whale species to practice both 'lunge feeding' (characteristic of the rorquals) and 'skimming' (normally only found in right whales). They have an exceptional colouration pattern that is all too rarely captured on photo, and often forgotten in illustrations. Which is unfortunate, because it is truly beautiful: besides the obvious countershading, the sei whale carries several backsweeping light strokes on the shoulder, which sharply turn forward to form a very light pair of chevrons that meet on the back. A little bit behind these chevrons the light flanks edge up onto the dark back with a few finger-like protrusions, after which the edge between light and dark more or less evens out. There are also a variable set of 'shadows' behind the flipper, which may take the form of a single dark band or several thinner lines, as shown here. The multiple white circles and 'dents' in the body are scars from cookiecutter sharks and/or lampreys. Just goes to show that the great whales are in fact no less intricate in their markings than the smaller cetaceans :)

[namu-the-orca]

Antarctic minke whale (Balaenoptera bonaerensis)

Not recognised as a separate species until the late 1900s, the Antarctic minke bears quite a different look than its northern relative. Although often described as diagnostically having plain grey flippers (setting it apart from the Common minke, that has white flipper bands), there are also Antarctic minkes that have largely light grey or even white flippers, and it's such an individual that I chose to depict. The round white scars are from Cookiecutter sharks, a species these whales encounter when migrating to warmer waters during the austral winter. Because unlike their name might suggest they are not necessarily Antarctica-bound, occurring throughout much of the Southern Hemisphere and even being resident in certain parts of Brazil.

There's also something to be said about the noises they make! In the 1960's, a sort of quacking noise, strangely similar to that of a regular duck, was picked up by submarines. Dubbed the 'bio-duck', it had people baffled for FIFTY years, until finally it was discovered in 2014 that these quacks in fact came from Antarctic minke whales. One more mystery solved :D You can listen to their quacks over here.

They are currently the most abundant of all baleen whales, their numbers in the hundreds of thousands - however it is not for a lack of hunting. With the greater whales depleted and hard to find, commercial whalers turned their attention to the Antarctic minkes, killing almost 10.000 of them between 1950 and 1987. Even after the whaling ban in 1986 Japan continued to take several hundred Antarctic minkes each year for their 'scientific research'.

This illustration is part of a commission from SEAMMO (SEA Mammal Monitoring Organisation) to illustrate all 15 baleen whale (Mysticete) species.

[namu-the-orca]

Omura’s whale (Balaenoptera omurai)

Here’s another funny one; my Omura’s whale illustration from before I actually had photographs of Omura’s whales. He’s kinda pudgy and too dark, but the markings are surprisingly not too far off. But let’s go back in time to 2015 and my original description:

There is a problem with trying to illustrate Mysticetes in as much detail as possible, and that problem's name is the Omura's whale. Only scientifically described in 2003, so little is known about this whale that this info piece is going to be very short indeed (and mostly about how little we know). Because while various metric data is know, including length and weight measurements, and cranial morphology, barely a thing is known about their ecology. Also their looks are somewhat mysterious: in the official report they are noted as being very similar to the much larger Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus) in colouration, and have indeed been called the 'Little fin whale'.

Since then, thanks to the great effort of Salvatore Cerchio’s team in Madagascar, a lot more has been discovered. About their habits, their ecology, and their pjhysical appearance. Much of this info can be found on the official website of the research project: http://www.omuraswhale.org/

[namu-the-orca]

Fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus)

The second largest animal on the planet, the fin whale is only surpassed in size by the blue whale. Despite their huge dimensions they are amongst the fastest of the great whales and the true bearers of the nickname 'Greyhound of the sea' (oops, mistake made with the seis). They got this nickame from American naturalist Roy Chapman Andrews, "for its beautiful, slender body is built like a racing yacht and the animal can surpass the speed of the fastest ocean steamship." Up to a 100 ventral pleats line their throat and belly, allowing them to hold 60 000 kilos of water in their mouth - which is more than they weigh themselves. This species is no doubt the best known asymmetrically coloured cetacean, even though many more species (such as the Dwarf and Antarctic minke whale, and even Bottlenose dolphins) also have uneven markings. On their right side Fin whales are remarkable light, with a great light grey rostral saddle and an all-white lower jaw. Even the baleen on the right side are largely tinted yellow instead of black. However, with all previous whales facing left and for the sake of consistency, the much darker left side is shown here - which, I discovered, is no less intricately patterned than the right.

[namu-the-orca]

It seemed preference went to uploading the baleen whales one by one, so here we go - and let’s start with the little ones to shake things up!

Northern minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata)

So, the minke whale. It's a well known and well loved little commoner. They are amongst the smallest of the baleen whales, only reaching a maximum length of 10 metres. This relatively small size allows them to be active and acrobatic whales, and they frequently leap clear of the water (much to the delight of whale watchers and photographers!). Just like many baleen whales, these guys have beautiful colouration. The white flipper band is perhaps most prominent, and together with the light chevrons on the sides they create an unmistakable pattern. These whales also have a variable flipper shadow (dark stripes posterior of the pectoral fin) like many of the greater whales. However, even having illustrated several Minkes in the past, I learned something new this time: a very thin, light line often runs from the ear to the flipper. It can for example be seen on this photo. Fascinating stuff!

This illustration is part of a commission from SEAMMO (SEA Mammal Monitoring Organisation) to illustrate all 15 baleen whale (Mysticete) species.

[namu-the-orca]

Dwarf minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata ssp.)

The third of the little great whales, and with that the minke whales are complete! With the superficially similar Antarctic minke whale having been taxonomically separated from the Common minke whale for a good couple of years already, it's a bit of a mystery as to why these little guys have not been recognised as a separate species or even subspecies yet. It's certainly not for their looks: they might be one of the most complicatedly marked cetaceans! Just looking through photos it's astounding to see all the fantastic markings you come across. I've combined two of my favourites in the illustration here: the stripes on the side and the black 'twirl' coming down onto the belly. Not all dwarf minkes have this second dark intrusion; some animals' sides are a more continuous grey. Their markings are asymmetrical and so unique researchers use them to identify individuals.

Even smaller than the other two species of minke whale, swimming with these diminutive baleen whales has become very popular around the Great Barrier Reef. There, snorkelers float around a rope strung from a boat, allowing the whales to make close passes at their own leisure and initiative. However, even though the whales are best known from their sightings in eastern Australia, they in fact occur throughout much of the Southern Hemisphere. Their specific distribution and migration patterns are still poorly understood, but they are also encountered off western Australia, southern Africa, Argentina and Brazil, and in the open sub-antarctic ocean.

Besides their pretty looks, all minkes apparently also have a knack for making strange noises. With the Antarctic making the 'bio-duck' sound I wrote about previously and the Common minke whale producing a weird screechy 'boing', the Dwarf minke whales have a 'star-wars' vocalisation. Have a listen for yourself. Awesome whales!

This illustration is part of a commission from SEAMMO (SEA Mammal Monitoring Organisation) to illustrate all 15 baleen whale (Mysticete) species. 

[namu-the-orca]

Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera brydei/edeni)

Or perhaps I should write Bryde's whaleS, because the Bryde's whale complex is a taxonomic stew to say the least. First described in 1878 as Balaenoptera edeni, based on a type specimen from Burma, in 1913 another new species was described, based on about a dozen or so odd 'Sei whales' from Norway. This second species was called Balaenoptera brydei, having been named after Johan Bryde (which is strangely pronounced 'Brewde'). Then in 1950 a Dutch scientist compared specimens from both species with a third individual stranded on Pulu Sugi Island, and synonymised the two species into a single one: Balaenoptera brydei.

Today however the two are often seen as separate again, with the Bryde's whale (B. brydei) being the larger, cosmopolitan species, and the Sittang or Eden's whale (B. edeni) being the smaller form that may be restricted to the Indo-pacific. However the mysteries do not end there. Of course in 2003 Omura's whale has been described as a species separate from B. brydei, there appears to be a pygmy form off the coast of South Africa, and the Indo-Pacific possibly houses another kind of Bryde's whale which differs in skull morphology. 

Whatever their name though, they are certainly a pretty species. Diagnostic are the three rostral ridges, instead of the more usual single one. They are also exquisitely marked with several chevrons on their shoulder and sides, and flipper shadows like most of the Balaenopterids. While some have more faded facial patterns, there's also Bryde's whales out there with a very clear mask, which is what I've decided to showcase here. And his peduncle looks like the surface of the moon due to cookiecutter shark bites - one of the disadvantages of dwelling in warm waters for most of your life.

Let me end by saying that I really do not like this illustration. For some reason it just looks fake. I think that’s mostly due to the shading (I made this one on a different monitor than the others), but the anatomy is also definitely off. Ah well, at least it’ll make for a nice comparison picture when I illustrate this species again in the future.