Learn all about the little-known Bryde whale – including why they’re rarely seen
Meet the Bryde whale, a type of baleen whale that’s part of the rorqual group, which also includes blue whales and humpback whales.
How big are Bryde whales?
Females are bigger than males. Male Bryde whales are up to 14.5m, while females are about a metre longer 15.5m.Female weigh up to 16.2 tonnes while males weigh up to 11.3 tonnes.
What do they look like?
Bryde whales are grey; paler below. Distinguished from the fin whale by the lack of a white patch on the right cheek, and from minke whale by the absence of a white band on the pectoral fin.
Where do Bryde whales live?
Bryde whales do not hide in remote polar regions nor lurk at great depths. They prefer the same temperate to tropical latitudes as us – though they have been recorded in waters as cool as 15°C, they favour a sea temperature of at least 20°C. There are both offshore and coastal populations, which may often be found within sight of land.
What do Bryde whales eat?
Their diet consists of small fish, krill, copepods, squid and crabs. Takes mostly schooling fish, but opportunistic: the species may feed mainly on fish in one area or year, and on invertebrates in another location or year.Though Bryde’s whales sometimes dive to 300m, they spend much of their time in surface waters. Here, they hoover up krill, copepods and other planktonic crustaceans – as do right, sei and blue whales – but their main prey are small schooling fish such as sardines, anchovies and mackerel.
A Bryde’s whale has 285–350 baleen plates on each side of its mouth. These in turn are covered with bristles. Like human fingernails, the baleen grows continuously.
How do they reproduce?
Reaches maturity when 11–12m long, at about 7 years old. Females give birth at 2-year intervals, after a gestation of 11–12 months. May breed all year, but in temperate waters reproduction could be linked to a seasonal migration to warmer areas.
Why are they rarely seen or recorded?
Bryde’s whales rarely engage in aerobatics like the breaching and fin-slapping displays that endear humpbacks to boatloads of tourists. They do not perform sustained, bewitching songs either (though they do make powerful low-frequency calls). In addition, they are highly nomadic, appearing in an area unannounced when there is an abundance of food near the surface, then disappearing again as fast as the resource is depleted.
Main image: Bryde’s whale hunting © Getty Images