Northern minke whale, Balaenoptera acutorostrata, surfacing in Cattle Pass, San Juan Islands, Washington, United States of America, North America

The white flipper band of a Minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is visible through the greenish water. This distinctive feature is characteristic of Minke whales of the northern hemisphere and the most obvious difference to their relatives in the Antarctic. St. Lawrence estuary, Canada

Adult common (northern) minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) sub-surface feeding in the rich waters of Woodfjord, Spitsbergen, Svalbard Archipelago, Norway

Adult common (northern) minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) sub-surface feeding in the rich waters of Woodfjord, Spitsbergen, Svalbard Archipelago, Norway

Adult common (northern) minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) sub-surface feeding in the rich waters of Woodfjord, Spitsbergen, Svalbard Archipelago, Norway

Adult common (northern) minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) sub-surface feeding in the rich waters of Woodfjord, Spitsbergen, Svalbard Archipelago, Norway

Common minke whale or northern minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), Svalbard, Spitsbergen, Norway