Bryde’s Whale
Scientific Name : Balaenoptera Edeni / Brydei Complex
- IUCN: Least Concern
- Other names: Confused with Sei and Minke whales
- Swahili name: Nyangumi tropiki
- Length: 13-15m (females are longer)
- Weight: 15-25 tonnes
- Life expectancy: 70 years
- Abundance: Worldwide in tropical to temperate waters, below 35 degree latitude
- Occurance: Year round
- Primary prey: Small schooling fish, such as anchovy
- Conservation status: Estimated 15,000 in the southern Indian Ocean. Vessel strikes, Entanglement in fishing gear, Ocean noise pose as most occurring threats.
- Quick key identification: Three prominent ridges that run along the centre of head in front of their blowhole. Pointed head is a determining feature and can be easily identified when it surfaces. Have a strong hooked dorsal fin located about two-thirds back on the body. Long and sleek body with the fluke almost never breaching the surface even when diving. Dark grey on top fading to lighter below. Jaws and lips are dark. 40-70 throat pleats on their underside that expand when feeding. Have about 250-370 pairs of grey baleen plates with coarse light grey fringes.
Bryde’s (pronounced “broo -des”) whales are named after Johan Brydes, a Norwegian who built the first whaling stations in South Africa after the early 20th century. Often observed alone though sometimes with two or three others and in feeding locations, up to 30 can be seen loosely grouped together.
They spend most of the day within 50 feet of the water’s surface and usually swim at two to six kph but can reach up to 25kph. They are very nimble and can switch direction with ease both above and below water. Often seen with circular scars on their skin, presumably caused by parasite or small cookie-cutter sharks, as they attach themselves to the whale and bite out about a 50mm diameter piece of flesh.
Unique when compared to other baleen whales, the Bryde’s whale does not like to migrate and prefers to stay in tropical and subtropical waters which are consistently above 20 degrees and close to coastal areas.
They spend most of the day within 50 feet of the water’s surface and usually swim at two to six kph but can reach up to 25kph. They are very nimble and can switch direction with ease both above and below water. Often seen with circular scars on their skin, presumably caused by parasite or small cookie-cutter sharks, as they attach themselves to the whale and bite out about a 50mm diameter piece of flesh.
Unique when compared to other baleen whales, the Bryde’s whale does not like to migrate and prefers to stay in tropical and subtropical waters which are consistently above 20 degrees and close to coastal areas.
- Three prominent ridges down centre of head
- Tall falcate dorsal fin
- Dark grey above with some scars, lighter below
- Jaws and lips dark
- 40-70 throat pleats reach to, or past the naval
- Baleen: 250-370 pairs of grey baleen plates with coarse light grey fringes
- Maximum length 15m
