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Minke Whale Breaching, 2001

The minke whale's missile-sleek shape helps it speed through the water at up to 20 miles (32 kilometers) an hour. It also gives it a variety of common names, including little piked whale, pikehead, and sharp-headed finner.

(Text adapted from and photo shot on assignment for, but not published in, "Pursuing the Minke," April 2001, National Geographic magazine)

Photograph by Flip Nicklin

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