Bryde's whale is found throughout the world, primarily in warm temperate and sub-tropical waters.
Populations exist mainly in warmer waters (~20 degrees Celsius). More research needs to be done on this topic.
Bryde's whales are dark gray in color with a yellowish white underside. They are the second smallest rorqual with an average length of 12 meters, although the female is usually about 1 foot longer than the male. Bryde's whales have two blowholes located on the top of the head. Bryde's whale is often confused with the Sei whale; however, the Bryde's whale has three parallel ridges in the area between the blowholes and the tip of the head. The flippers are small compared to body size. The prominent dorsal fin is sickle shaped. Instead of teeth, these whales have two rows of baleen plates. These plates are located on the top jaw and number approximately 300 on each side. Each baleen plate is short and wide, 50cm x 19cm.
Breeding occurs year round in Bryde's whales. Sexual maturity is reached at 10 years of age for males and 8 years of age for females. The gestation period is approximately 12 months. Most Bryde's whales bear 1 calf. Calves are around 4 meters at birth and weigh 1 ton.
Bryde's whales are seldom seen in large groups but will congregate around dense populations of food. They are deep divers. The lobes of either side of the tail (flukes) are seldom shown. Swimming speed ranges between 4 - 16 knots. Some tropical populations are possibly sedentary with short distance migrations. More research needs to be done on the behavior of Bryde's whales.
Bryde's whales feed almost exclusively on pelagic fish (pilchard, mackerel, herring, and anchovies) and pelagic crustaceans (shrimp,crabs, and lobsters). They also have been observed to eat cephalopods (octopus, squid, and cuttlefish).
Some populations were seriously depleted as a result of whaling practices. Bryde's whales are not on the Endangered species list. As a result of the 1986 Moratorium on Whaling, they are protected worldwide.
Elizabeth Gill (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Phil Myers (editor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
the body of water between Africa, Europe, the southern ocean (above 60 degrees south latitude), and the western hemisphere. It is the second largest ocean in the world after the Pacific Ocean.
living in sub-Saharan Africa (south of 30 degrees north) and Madagascar.
living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.
body of water between the southern ocean (above 60 degrees south latitude), Australia, Asia, and the western hemisphere. This is the world's largest ocean, covering about 28% of the world's surface.
having body symmetry such that the animal can be divided in one plane into two mirror-image halves. Animals with bilateral symmetry have dorsal and ventral sides, as well as anterior and posterior ends. Synapomorphy of the Bilateria.
an animal that mainly eats meat
uses smells or other chemicals to communicate
the nearshore aquatic habitats near a coast, or shoreline.
animals that use metabolically generated heat to regulate body temperature independently of ambient temperature. Endothermy is a synapomorphy of the Mammalia, although it may have arisen in a (now extinct) synapsid ancestor; the fossil record does not distinguish these possibilities. Convergent in birds.
a method of feeding where small food particles are filtered from the surrounding water by various mechanisms. Used mainly by aquatic invertebrates, especially plankton, but also by baleen whales.
offspring are produced in more than one group (litters, clutches, etc.) and across multiple seasons (or other periods hospitable to reproduction). Iteroparous animals must, by definition, survive over multiple seasons (or periodic condition changes).
makes seasonal movements between breeding and wintering grounds
having the capacity to move from one place to another.
specialized for swimming
the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.
an animal that mainly eats fish
remains in the same area
reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female
associates with others of its species; forms social groups.
uses touch to communicate
reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.
breeding takes place throughout the year
December 1974. International Whaling Commission, Scientific Committee on Sei and Bryde's Whales.. Cambridge.
8/1/97. "Bryde's Whale: Eastern Tropical Pacific Stock" (On-line). Accessed October 11,1999 at http://swfsc.ucsd.edu/sars/Brydes_w.htm.
"CINMS Bryde's Whale Page" (On-line). Accessed October 15, 1999 at http://cinms.nos.noaa.gov/animals/bryde.stm.
"Discovering Whales- The Bryde's Whale" (On-line). Accessed October 11,1999 at http://whales.magna.com.au/DISCOVER/BRYDES/brydesg.html/.
Anderson, 1994. "The Mammals of Texas - Online Edition" (On-line). Accessed October 11,1999 at http://www.nsrl.ttu.edu/tmot/balaeden.htm.