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Minke whale vision: the science and the numbers

Balaenoptera acutorostrata · order Cetacea · Mammals: all the numbers

Its sharpest vision resolves 4.125 cycles per degree, against 63.75 for people in this dataset.[6][7] Its activity pattern is diurnal.[16][17][18]

See it on your photoBack to How does the minke whale see?
  • 4.125cycles per degree (sharpness)Measured

The minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata) is a mammal in the order Cetacea. Its eyes belong to the vision type Small prey mammal (UV): two or three cone types, often including ultraviolet, low sharpness and a near-panoramic field. Measured in this species: sharpness, foveas and night vision. Measured core: measured values on at least 3 of the 6 dials.

This is a simulation built from published eye measurements, not what the animal experiences.

Method: How we know what animals see (the See Like Animals vision engine) · Sources · Last updated . Every value below carries its evidence level and sources; nothing is typed by hand.

What the minke whale sees: colour receptors

Minke whale colour receptor peaks, 300 to 700 nmMinke whale: 1 receptor peak at 524 nm; you: 3 at 421.5, 532, 558.4 nm. ultraviolet300400500600700
Minke whale: 524 nmPeople: 421.5, 532, 558.4 nmWavelength in nanometres

What stands out

  • Its sharpest vision resolves 4.125 cycles per degree: the finest stripe pattern it can tell apart from grey.
  • Activity pattern: diurnal.

The six dials

Evidence levels: how the tiers work. "Measured" means a value measured in this species; "Estimated" values come from a close relative or an eye-size formula. The last column gives the values for people from the same catalogue.

Vision values for the minke whale (Balaenoptera acutorostrata), catalogue-v1
DialValueEvidenceSourcesPeople
ColourColour receptors
1 receptor class: 524 nm (MWS (green))
receptor set of nearest measured relative Tursiops truncatus (same order Cetacea)
Group default[1]Colour receptors: 3 receptor classes: 421.5 nm (VS/SWS (violet)), 532 nm (MWS (green)), 558.4 nm (LWS (long)) Measured (not re-verified)[2][3][4][5]
SharpnessAcuity
4.125 cycles per degree
median of 2 anatomical-ganglion rows (method priority rule)
Measured[6][7]Acuity: 63.75 cycles per degree Measured[8][9]
Field of viewBinocular overlap
75°
median of 41 relatives in class Mammalia: Octodon degus, Octodon lunatus, Equus caballus, Ovis aries, Bos taurus, Capra hircus
Group default[10][11][12][13]Binocular overlap: 122.5° Measured[10][11]
Total field of view: 200° Measured (not re-verified)[14]
Blind area behind the head: 160° Derived[14]
Eye placement: frontal Derived[10][11]
Sharp zones (foveas)Number of foveas
0
fovea_present / area_centralis_type (retinal topography; count 1 = fovea present, 0 = none)
Measured[15]Number of foveas: 1 Measured[15]
Fovea type: fovea Measured[15]
Fovea type
area centralis, horizontal streak		Measured[15]
Night visionActivity pattern
diurnal
mode of 2 rows (of 3 rows): aquatic; diurnal
Measured (not re-verified)[16][17][18]Activity pattern: diurnal Measured (not re-verified)[19][16][17][2][20][21][22][18]
Pupil shape: vertical Group default[23][24]
Reflective layer (tapetum): no Measured[25]
Rods vs cones: cone-dominated Derived[19][16][17][2][20][21][22][18]
Rods vs cones
cone-dominated
nocturnal -> rod-dominated; crepuscular / cathemeral / mixed -> mixed; diurnal -> cone-dominated
Derived[16][17][18]
Motion (flicker fusion)Flicker fusion frequency
60 Hz
median of 21 relatives in class Mammalia: Rattus norvegicus, Cavia porcellus, Mus musculus, Felis catus, Macaca mulatta, Macaca nemestrina
Group default[26][27][28][29]Flicker fusion frequency: 60 Hz Measured[27][28]

All mammals side by side: Mammals: every measurement. Method: how we know what animals see.

Sources

  1. Frazer et al. 2024
  2. Longcore 2023
  3. Kirwan
  4. Müller et al. 2009
  5. Thermal Activation and Photoactivation of Visual… 2004
  6. de Sousa et al. 2022
  7. Kirk et al. 2004
  8. Kirk et al. 2004
  9. Veilleux et al. 2014
  10. Heesy 2004
  11. Heffner et al. 1992
  12. Vega-Zuniga et al. 2013
  13. Vega-Zuniga et al. 2017
  14. Campbell & Green 1965
  15. Kopania et al. 2025
  16. Borges et al. 2018
  17. Wilman et al. 2014
  18. Moura et al. 2024
  19. Anderson et al. 2017
  20. Maor et al. 2017
  21. Jones et al. 2009
  22. Schmitz et al. 2011
  23. Banks et al. 2015
  24. Cervino et al. 2021
  25. Guareschi et al. 2025
  26. Haarlem et al. 2026
  27. Healy et al. 2013
  28. Inger et al. 2014
  29. Lafitte et al. 2022

Every value cites its sources (all sources). Values were extracted from these works and converted (units, medians, derived values); changes are ours, and the listed sources do not endorse this site. Data: catalogue-v1, built 2026-09-29. Accuracy notes: how accurate is this? Method: how we know.