Common minke whale this mistake during Foyn's whaling operations in the Varanger Fjord between 1868 and 1885." It has formerly been known as the little piked whale, the lesser or least rorqual, and the sharp-headed finner. American whalemen in the 19th century simply thought of them as "young finbacks" or a "Finback's calf", apparently under the impression that they were juveniles of their larger relative, the fin whale. They were also called zwergwal (German: "dwarf whale") or vågehval (Norwegian: "bay whale"). In Japan they are called koiwashi-kujira ("little sardine whale") or minku-kujira ("minke whale"). In Greenland they are known by the Danish name
Little Whale River Little Whale River The Little Whale River (French: "Petite rivière de la Baleine") (Cree: "Wâpamekustûss") is a river in Nunavik, Quebec, Canada. With an area of , it is ranked as the 35th largest river basin in Quebec. The Cree named a segment of the Little Whale River near its mouth as "Wapimakustus", which is similar to what Isbister noted in 1740. The Inuit call it "Qilalugarsiuviup Kuunga", which means "river or place where beluga is hunted". Its name has often been wrongly translated into French as "Rivière de la Petite Baleine". In the records of 1740 kept by Joseph