Bryde's Whale
Balaenoptera edeni
Conservation Status
Least ConcernMammalia · Cetacea · Balaenopteridae
About
Bryde's whale, or the Bryde's whale complex, putatively comprises three species of rorqual and possibly four. The "complex" means the number and classification remain unclear because of a lack of definitive information and research. The common Bryde's whale is a larger form that occurs worldwide in warm temperate and tropical waters, and the Sittang or Eden's whale is a smaller form that may be restricted to the Indo-Pacific. Also, a smaller, coastal form of B. brydei is found off southern Africa, and perhaps another form in the Indo-Pacific differs in skull morphology, tentatively referred to as the Indo-Pacific Bryde's whale. The recently described Omura's whale, was formerly thought to be a pygmy form of Bryde's, but is now recognized as a distinct species. Rice's whale, which makes its home solely in the Gulf of Mexico, was once considered a distinct population of Bryde's whale, but in 2021 it was described as a separate species.
Fun Fact
The largest measured by Olsen (1913) was a 14.
Quick Facts
Habitat
Occurs in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans between the 40th parallels of latitude, preferring highly productive, tropical, subtropical, and warm, temperate waters of 16–22 °C (61–72 °F).
Diet
Feed on a wide variety of fish, planktonic crustaceans, and cephalopods.
Lifespan
To be updated
Threats
- Habitat Change
- Human Disturbance