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Balaenoptera edeniBryde's whale

By Elizabeth Gill

Geographic Range

Bryde's whale is found throughout the world, primarily in warm temperate and sub-tropical waters.

Habitat

Populations exist mainly in warmer waters (~20 degrees Celsius). More research needs to be done on this topic.

Physical Description

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.

  • Range mass
    12000 to 20000 kg
    26431.72 to 44052.86 lb

Reproduction

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.

  • Breeding season
    Breeding occurs year round in Bryde's whales
  • Average number of offspring
    1
  • Average number of offspring
    1
    AnAge
  • Average gestation period
    12 months
  • Average gestation period
    376 days
    AnAge
  • Average birth mass
    1e+06 g
    35242.29 oz
    AnAge
  • Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
    8 years
  • Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female)
    Sex: female
    3104 days
    AnAge
  • Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
    10 years
  • Average age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male)
    Sex: male
    3104 days
    AnAge

Lifespan / Longevity

Behavior

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.

Communication and Perception

Food Habits

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).

  • Animal Foods
  • fish
  • mollusks
  • aquatic crustaceans

Conservation Status

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.

Contributors

Elizabeth Gill (author), University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, Phil Myers (editor), Museum of Zoology, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.

Glossary

Atlantic Ocean

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.

World Map

Ethiopian

living in sub-Saharan Africa (south of 30 degrees north) and Madagascar.

World Map

Neotropical

living in the southern part of the New World. In other words, Central and South America.

World Map

Pacific Ocean

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.

World Map

bilateral symmetry

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.

carnivore

an animal that mainly eats meat

chemical

uses smells or other chemicals to communicate

coastal

the nearshore aquatic habitats near a coast, or shoreline.

endothermic

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.

filter-feeding

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.

iteroparous

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).

migratory

makes seasonal movements between breeding and wintering grounds

motile

having the capacity to move from one place to another.

natatorial

specialized for swimming

native range

the area in which the animal is naturally found, the region in which it is endemic.

piscivore

an animal that mainly eats fish

sedentary

remains in the same area

sexual

reproduction that includes combining the genetic contribution of two individuals, a male and a female

social

associates with others of its species; forms social groups.

tactile

uses touch to communicate

viviparous

reproduction in which fertilization and development take place within the female body and the developing embryo derives nourishment from the female.

year-round breeding

breeding takes place throughout the year

References

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.

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