Photo: (c) Marilyne Busque-Dubois, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY · Source and license. Displayed as a resized crop. Photograph illustrates the species.
Habitat
Coastal bays and offshore ocean waters, particularly in temperate and cooler seas
Viewing zone
Observe at the surface from shore or a boat
Viewing activities
Offshore
Life and behavior
Seasonal movements may connect high-latitude feeding areas with warmer waters.
Wider distribution
Occupies coastal and oceanic waters, including temperate, boreal, and some tropical areas.
When to look
The available records do not establish a reliable local viewing season. Use the map’s month filter to inspect dated observations; it does not predict an encounter.
WHERE HAS IT BEEN RECORDED?
Explore the featured regions
These dated records show past presence. They do not establish today’s abundance, guarantee a sighting, or describe the species’ entire range.
Hawaiʻi
Recorded here
26,931 OBIS records in the regional query · snapshot 2026-09-12.
Individual records in this sample do not supply habitat or depth. Use the species reference above for biological context.
OBIS · 2017-04-19Minke whale localized acoustic detections off Kauai · Regina A. Guazzo, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
OBIS · 2017-04-04Minke whale localized acoustic detections off Kauai · Regina A. Guazzo, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
OBIS · 2017-03-24Minke whale localized acoustic detections off Kauai · Regina A. Guazzo, Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific · http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
