Christmas Day walkers were stunned to find a 15 feet dead whale washed up in Ynyslas. This small village is located in Wales, eight miles from Aberystwyth. The Minke whale is also called the lesser rorqual. The Minke whale, also known as lesser rorqual, is the second-smallest baleen whale. Only the pygmy left whale is smaller. Despite this, minke whales can reach 23 foot and females 26 foot in length. It was likely a juvenile if it measured 15 inches. The rorqual whale family also includes blue whales and humpbacks. Minke whales make up the part of the rorqual group of whales. Paul Rowland (editor of WalesOnline) took the following photos of the minke whale washed up and shared them via Twitter. (Image: twitter.com/paulrowland1) A spokesperson for HM Coastguard told WalesOnline: “We had reports about a whale washed up on shore on Christmas Day, however due to the bad weather we were unable to remove it. The situation could have been very different if the whale was still alive. However, as it stands now the carcass has been quite badly decayed. “Someone will be coming down today to take a look. They would measure the carcass and take some samples to analyze it. Sometimes they might even remove the lower jaw for an autopsy.” Walker Shirley Tunley, a BBC reporter said that the Tunley family has visited the whale many times over the Christmas season. Ali Chedgy took the picture as she walked past the animal. (Image: twitter.com/wavesandwellies) About minke whales Minkes can be found in many parts of the world. These whales are found in UK waters and can be seen at the edges of sea ice in northern hemisphere, as well as in the tropics. They are seasonal feeders. Their baleen helps them filter through water. They remove small amounts of polar plankton and krill and chase small schools of cod and anchovies. According to UK.whales.org all minke whales are considered one species by whaling countries. They are actually at least two distinct species. These further split into separate biological populations. The mother minke whale and her calves. Image: sdwhalewatch.com. The common minke is the most well-known species, while the Antarctic minke is less commonly known. A subspecies of the dwarf minke is similar to the common minke but is found only in the Southern Hemisphere and slightly smaller. Japan, Norway, and Iceland are pursuing the minke whales for scientific or commercial whaling. You can keep them underwater up to twenty minutes. For a short time, they will be able to swim alongside a boat and can often be seen feeding under flocks of seabirds. Sea Shepherd, a conservation organization says that minke whales are among the most common baleen whales. There are approximately 800,000 Minke Whales in the world. Video: Meet the Minke Whales
