Dolphin and whale sightings galore in Algarve. An impressive number of dolphin and whale sightings were registered last year , with a total of 10 species being spotted. … Common dolphins were the most spotted species , followed by bottlenose dolphins and minke whales.

The Minke Whales In Detail :  

• PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION The minke whale has two long flippers, a small dorsal fin, and a series of small ridges along the its back near the flukes .
• COLOUR The minke whale is a black/gray/purple color. Common minke whales are distinguished from other whales by a white band on each flipper. The body is usually black or dark-gray above and  white  underneath.
• FINS AND FLUKES As in fin whales, minke whales sometimes also have a light chevron behind the head and two regions of light grey on each side (one just above and behind the flipper and the other just in front of and below the dorsalfin). … During the dive, minke whales typically arch their tail stock but never “fluke-up
• LENGTH AND WEIGHT

  On average the minke whale will grow to an average length of 22 – 24 ft. long and weigh as much as 11 tons. As with other baleen whales the female whales will often grow slightly larger than their male counter parts ( about 1-2 feet longer).

• FEEDING Minke whales are known to feed on a variety of prey species and their choice very much depends on what is available in the area. Feeding on different species requires different behaviours to entrap their prey