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 (''Balaenoptera brydei'', Olsen, 1913) is a larger form that occurs worldwide in warm temperate and tropical waters, and the Sittang or Eden's whale (''Balaenoptera edeni'', Anderson, 1879) is a smaller form that may be restricted to the
Indo-Pacific
The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...
. 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 (''B. omurai'', Wada et al. 2003), was formerly thought to be a pygmy form of Bryde's, but is now recognized as a distinct species.
Rice's whale (''B. ricei''), which makes its home solely in the
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico () is an oceanic basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, mostly surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north, and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States; on the southw ...
, was once considered a distinct population of Bryde's whale, but in 2021 it was described as a separate species.
''B. brydei'' gets its specific and common name from
Johan Bryde, Norwegian consul to South Africa, who helped establish the first modern
whaling
Whaling is the hunting of whales for their products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that was important in the Industrial Revolution. Whaling was practiced as an organized industry as early as 875 AD. By the 16t ...
station in the country, while ''B. edeni'' gets its specific and common names from Sir
Ashley Eden, former High Commissioner of Burma (
Myanmar
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and has ...
).
Sittang whale refers to the type locality of the species.
Etymology
In Japan, early whalers called it or . It preys on the anchovy and it was commonly associated with the skipjack. As modern whaling shifted to the
Sanriku area, whalemen confused the
sei whale with it; now only applies to the latter. Incidentally, anchovies are dominant prey for both species off Japan. They are now called , for their resemblance to the sei whale.
Taxonomy
The taxonomy is poorly characterised. The two genetically distinct, candidate species/subspecies/morphologies are Bryde's whale ''B. brydei'' and the Sittang or Eden's whale ''B. edeni'',
that differentiate by geographic distribution, inshore/offshore preferences, and size. For both putative species, the scientific name ''B. edeni'' is commonly used or they are simply referred to ''B.'' cf ''brydei/edeni''.
In 1878, the Scottish zoologist
John Anderson, first curator of the
Indian Museum in
Calcutta
Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...
, described ''Balaenoptera edeni'', naming it after the former British High Commissioner in
Burma
Myanmar, officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar; and also referred to as Burma (the official English name until 1989), is a country in northwest Southeast Asia. It is the largest country by area in Mainland Southeast Asia and ha ...
, Sir
Ashley Eden, who helped obtain the type specimen. Eden's Deputy Commissioner, Major A.G. Duff, sent a Mr Duke, one of his assistants, to Thaybyoo Creek, between the
Sittang and Beeling Rivers, on the
Gulf of Martaban, where he found a whale, which had stranded there in June 1871 after swimming more than up the creek—it was said to have "exhausted itself by its furious struggles" to get free and "roared like an elephant" before finally expiring. Despite terrible weather, he was able to secure almost the entire skull and nearly all its vertebrae, along with other bones. These were sent to Anderson, who described the specimen, which was physically mature, as a new species.
[Anderson, J. (1878). Anatomical and Zoological Researches: Comprising an Account of the Zoological Results of the Two Expeditions to Western Yunnan in 1868 and 1875; and a Monograph of the Two Cetacean Genera, ''Platanista'' and ''Orcaella''. ''Quaritch'' London. ] In 1913, the Norwegian scientist Ørjan Olsen, based on the examination of a dozen "sei whales" brought to the whaling stations at
Durban
Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Situated on the east coast of South ...
and
Saldanha, in South Africa, described ''Balaenoptera brydei'', naming it after the Norwegian consul to South Africa Johan Bryde.
In 1950, the Dutch scientist G.C.A. Junge, after comparing specimens of ''B. edeni'' and ''B. brydei'' with a , physically mature specimen that had stranded on Pulau Sugi, an island between
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
and
Sumatra
Sumatra () is one of the Sunda Islands of western Indonesia. It is the largest island that is fully within Indonesian territory, as well as the list of islands by area, sixth-largest island in the world at 482,286.55 km2 (182,812 mi. ...
, in July 1936, synonymized the two species into ''B. edeni''.
In the 1950s it was discovered that there were two types of "sei whale" off Japan, a northern form with longer, finer baleen and shorter ventral grooves and a southern form with shorter, coarser baleen and longer ventral grooves. They also differed in the shape of the palate. The former was caught off northeastern
Honshu
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
and eastern
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
, while the latter was taken off western
Kyushu
is the third-largest island of Japan's Japanese archipelago, four main islands and the most southerly of the four largest islands (i.e. excluding Okinawa Island, Okinawa and the other Ryukyu Islands, Ryukyu (''Nansei'') Ryukyu Islands, Islands ...
and southern Honshu. Both were caught off the
Bonin Islands
The Bonin Islands, also known as the , is a list of islands of Japan, Japanese archipelago of over 30 subtropical and Island#Tropical islands, tropical islands located around SSE of Tokyo and northwest of Guam. The group as a whole has a total ...
, but at different seasons. It was realized that the northern form were indeed sei whales (''B. borealis''), but the southern form were Bryde's whale (''B. brydei/edeni'').
A later study revealed that Bryde's caught off Japan exhibited lateral ridges on their
rostrum, whereas sei whales lacked this feature.
In the 1960s it was discovered that some of the "sei whales" being caught off
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
were also Bryde's whales based on the same characters that distinguished the two species off Japan (i.e. three ridges on the rostrum versus one, shape of the palate, texture of the baleen, length of the ventral grooves).
Description
Several differences in anatomy are found between Bryde's and Eden's whales; morphological similarities have caused confusions regarding species identification.
Size
Members of the Bryde's whale complex are moderately-sized
rorquals, falling behind
sei whales, but being larger than
Omura's whale and the relatively small
minke whales. The largest measured by Olsen (1913) was a female caught off
Durban
Durban ( ; , from meaning "bay, lagoon") is the third-most populous city in South Africa, after Johannesburg and Cape Town, and the largest city in the Provinces of South Africa, province of KwaZulu-Natal.
Situated on the east coast of South ...
in November 1912,
while the longest of each sex measured by Best (1977) at the Donkergat whaling station in
Saldanha Bay
Saldanha Bay () is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, Western Cape, Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay ...
, South Africa, were a female caught in October 1962 and a male caught in April 1963; both were the offshore form.
At physical maturity, the coastal form off South Africa averages for males and for females, while the South Africa offshore form averages . The coastal form near Japan is slightly smaller, with adult males averaging and adult females . At sexual maturity, males average and females near Japan. Sexual maturity is reached at 8–11 years for both sexes in the offshore form off South Africa. At birth, they are .
[Evans, Peter G. H. (1987). ''The Natural History of Whales and Dolphins''. Facts on File.] The body mass of Bryde's whales can range .
External appearance

The Bryde's whale is a
baleen whale, more specifically a rorqual belonging to the same group as
blue whales and
humpback whales. It has twin blowholes with a low splashguard to the front. Like other rorquals, it has no teeth, but has two rows of baleen plates.
Bryde's whales closely resemble their close relative the sei whale. They are remarkably elongated (even more so than
fin whales), with the greatest height of the body being one seventh their total length—compared to 1/6.5 to 1/6.75 in fin whales and only 1/5.5 in sei whales. Bryde's are dark smoky grey dorsally and usually white ventrally, whereas sei whales are often a galvanized blue-grey dorsally and have a variably sized white patch on the throat, a posteriorly oriented white anchor-shaped marking between the pectoral fins, and are blue-grey beyond the anus—although Bryde's off South Africa can have a similar irregular white patch on the throat. Bryde's have a straight rostrum with three longitudinal ridges that extend from the blowholes, where the auxiliary ridges begin as depressions, to the tip of the rostrum. The sei whale, like other rorquals, has a single median ridge, as well as a slightly arched rostrum, which is accentuated at the tip. Bryde's usually have dark grey lower jaws, whereas sei whales are lighter grey. Bryde's have 250–370 pairs of short, slate grey baleen plates with long, coarse, lighter grey or white bristles that are long by wide, while sei whales have longer, black or dark grey baleen plates with short, curling, wool-like bristles.
The 40 to 70 ventral pleats extend to or past the umbilicus, occupying about 58% and 57% of the total length, respectively; sei whales, though, have ventral pleats that extend only halfway between the pectoral fins and umbilicus, occupying only 45–47% of the total body length, whereas their umbilicus is usually 52% of the total body length. Both species are often covered with white or pink oval scars caused by bites from cookie-cutter sharks.
[Omura, H. (1966). "Bryde's whales in the Northwest Pacific". In ''Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises'' (ed. K.S. Norris): 70-8. Univ. Calif. Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles.]
Bryde's whales have an upright, falcate dorsal fin that is up to in height, average , and is usually between .
It is often frayed or ragged along its rear margin and located about two-thirds of the way along the back. The broad, centrally notched tail flukes rarely break the surface. The flippers are small and slender.
Behaviour

Their blow is columnar or bushy, about high. Sometimes, they blow or exhale while under water. Bryde's whales display seemingly erratic behaviour compared to other baleen whales, because they surface at irregular intervals and can change directions for unknown reasons.
They usually appear individually or in pairs, and occasionally in loose aggregations up to 20 animals around feeding areas.
They are more active on the water surface than sei whales, especially in coastal waters.
Breathing
They regularly dive for about 5–15 minutes (maximum of 20 minutes) after four to seven blows. Bryde's whales are capable of reaching depths down to .
When submerging, these whales do not display their flukes. Bryde's whales commonly swim at , but can reach .
They sometimes generate short (0.4 seconds) powerful, low-frequency vocalizations that resemble a human moan.
Diet
Bryde's whales feed on a wide variety of fish,
planktonic crustaceans, and
cephalopod
A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan Taxonomic rank, class Cephalopoda (Greek language, Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral symm ...
s. In the western North Pacific, Bryde's whales caught by Japanese scientific whaling vessels (2000–2007) mainly fed on
Japanese anchovy (''Engraulis japonicus'', 52%) and various species of
euphausiid (36%, including ''
Euphausia similis'', ''
E. gibboides'', ''
Thysanoessa gregaria'', and ''
Nematoscelis difficilis''), as well as
oceanic lightfish (''Vinciguerria nimbaria'', nearly 3%), and
mackerels (''Scomber'' spp., less than 2%). The prey differed by location and season. In
coastal areas, euphausiids dominated the diet, comprising 89 and 75% of the diet in May and June, respectively. Further offshore,
Japanese anchovy was the dominant species, accounting for nearly 100% of the diet in late summer.
[Tamura, T., Konishi, K., Isoda, T. and P. Okamoto. (2009). "Prey consumption and feeding habits of common minke, sei and Bryde's whales in the western North Pacific". ''NAMMCO/SC/16/MMFI/07''] Based on the stomach contents of Bryde's whales caught by Japanese pelagic whaling expeditions in the North Pacific in the 1970s, the majority were found to feed on euphausiids (nearly 89%), whereas only about 11% fed on fish.

Off South Africa, prey preferences differed between the inshore and offshore forms. The former mainly feed on
anchovies (''Engraulis capensis'', 83%),
maasbankers (''Trachurus trachurus'', 36%), and pilchards (''
Sardinops ocellata'', 33%), with only one (or 3%) being found with euphausiids (''
Nyctiphanes capensis''). The latter, however, mainly feed on euphausiids (primarily ''
Euphausia lucens'', but also ''
E. recurva'', ''
N. capensis'', and ''
Thysanoessa gregaria''), as well as various deep-sea fish (including
Mueller's pearlside, ''Maurolicus muelleri'', and a species of ''
Lestidium''). One was even found "full of baby squid" (later identified as ''
Lycoteuthis diadema'').
In the
Gulf of California, they mainly feed on
Pacific sardine (''Sardinops sagax'') and
Pacific thread herring (''Opisthonema libertate'') (about 88%), but also feed on euphausiids (mostly ''
Nyctiphanes simplex'', 11%). They have also been observed feeding on
pelagic red crabs (''
Pleuroncodes planipes'') off southern
Baja California
Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...
.
In the
Coral Sea
The Coral Sea () is a marginal sea of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific off the northeast coast of Australia, and classified as an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australian bioregion. The Coral Sea extends down t ...
, the South Pacific, and the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
, they appear to mainly feed on euphausiids, while off Brazil, they have been observed feeding on sardines. Individuals caught off Western Australia were found with
anchovies (''E. australis'') in their stomachs (though these individuals may refer to Omura's whale).
[Reynolds, John Elliott, and Sentiel A. Rommel. (1999). ''Biology of Marine Mammals''. Washington: Smithsonian Institution Press.] Bryde's whales use several feeding methods, including skimming the surface, lunging, and
bubble nets especially within
Gulf of Tosa.
Along southeastern coasts of Brazil, whales add twisting movements to lunge feeding.
In the Pacific and northern Indian Ocean, Bryde's whales have been observed employing "tread-water feeding" or "trap feeding," a behaviour more commonly known from the
northern Gulf of Thailand which is also performed by
humpback whale
The humpback whale (''Megaptera novaeangliae'') is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the monotypic taxon, only species in the genus ''Megaptera''. Adults range in length from and weigh u ...
s in the northeastern Pacific.
Reproduction and nurturing
Bryde's whales breed in alternate years, apparently in any season, with an autumnal peak. Their gestation period is estimated at 12 months. Calves are about long at birth and weigh . They become sexually mature at 8–13 years of age, when females are . The mother nurses for 6–12 months.
Vocalizations
In 2014, a mysterious sound, dubbed a Biotwang, was discovered in underwater recordings from the
Mariana Archipelago. It was assumed to be produced by a baleen whale of unknown species. In 2024 that sound was shown to come from Bryde’s whales.
Distribution
''B. brydei''

''B. brydei'' occurs in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans between the 40th parallels of latitude, preferring highly productive, tropical, subtropical, and warm, temperate waters of . In the North Pacific, they occur as far north as
Honshu
, historically known as , is the largest of the four main islands of Japan. It lies between the Pacific Ocean (east) and the Sea of Japan (west). It is the list of islands by area, seventh-largest island in the world, and the list of islands by ...
to the west and southern California in the east, with vagrants reported as far north as
Washington in the United States. They occur throughout the eastern tropical Pacific, including
Peru
Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...
and
Ecuador
Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...
, where they are absent from July to September. They have also been reported in an upwelling area off
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...
between
35° and
37°S. In the southwestern Pacific, they occur as far south as the
North Island
The North Island ( , 'the fish of Māui', historically New Ulster) is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but less populous South Island by Cook Strait. With an area of , it is the List ...
of
New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
.
Based on osteological features, a specimen from
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
was referred to ''B. brydei'', while several specimens from the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
and
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
differed slightly in skull morphology and were referred to the putative Indo-Pacific Bryde's whale.
[Yamada, T. K., L.-S. Chou, S. Chantrapornsyl, K. Adulyanukosol, S. K. Chakravarti, M. Oishi, S. Wada, C.-J. Yao, T. Kakuda, Y. Tajima, K. Arai, A. Umetani & N. Kurihara (2006). "Middle sized balaenopterid whale specimens (Cetacea: Balaenopteridae) preserved at several institutions in Taiwan, Thailand and India". ''Memoirs of the National Science Museum'', Tokyo, 44:1–10.][Yamada, T. K., T. Kakuda & Y. Tajima (2008). "Middle-sized balaenopterid whale specimens in the Philippines and Indonesia". ''Memoirs of the National Science Museum.'' Tokyo, 45:75–83.] Mitochondrial DNA analysis showed that Bryde's whales caught in the pelagic western North Pacific and Bonin Islands
The Bonin Islands, also known as the , is a list of islands of Japan, Japanese archipelago of over 30 subtropical and Island#Tropical islands, tropical islands located around SSE of Tokyo and northwest of Guam. The group as a whole has a total ...
(resident population), as well as biopsy samples taken from whales off Hawaii
Hawaii ( ; ) is an island U.S. state, state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two Non-contiguous United States, non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only sta ...
, the west coast of Baja California, and the southern Gulf of California, belonged to ''B. brydei''.[Goto, M., Kanda, N., & Pastene, L. A. (2004). "Analysis of mtDNA sequences in Bryde's whales from the central western North Pacific and Baja California Peninsula". SC/56/PF15. ''Unpublished report to the Scientific Committee of the International Whaling Commission''.] Resident or semi-resident groups also exist off Hawaiian and Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands
The Northern Mariana Islands, officially the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territory and Commonwealth (U.S. insular area), commonwealth of the United States consistin ...
.
Bryde's whales do not occur within central to northern Sea of Japan
The Sea of Japan is the marginal sea between the Japanese archipelago, Sakhalin, the Korean Peninsula, and the mainland of the Russian Far East. The Japanese archipelago separates the sea from the Pacific Ocean. Like the Mediterranean Sea, it ...
on regular basis or at least in large numbers. One of the northernmost records in modern times was of a beached, 5-meter-long specimen at Nakhodka in 2011.
''B. brydei'' occurs throughout the Indian Ocean north of about 35°S. Those of the southern Indian Ocean appear to correspond to ''B. brydei'', as do the individuals illegally caught by the Soviets in the 1960s in the northwest Indian Ocean, as well as the Maldives
The Maldives, officially the Republic of Maldives, and historically known as the Maldive Islands, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in South Asia located in the Indian Ocean. The Maldives is southwest of Sri Lanka and India, abou ...
. Individuals sighted in the Red Sea
The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...
may or may not be ''B. brydei''.
In the North Atlantic, they have been recorded as far north as Cape Hatteras. They occur throughout the wider Caribbean
The Caribbean ( , ; ; ; ) is a region in the middle of the Americas centered around the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, mostly overlapping with the West Indies. Bordered by North America to the north, Central America ...
—two specimens from Aruba
Aruba, officially the Country of Aruba, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, in the southern Caribbean Sea north of the Venezuelan peninsula of Paraguaná Peninsula, Paraguaná and northwest of Curaçao. In 19 ...
were found through mtDNA analysis to be firmly placed within ''B. brydei'' and to form a clade
In biology, a clade (), also known as a Monophyly, monophyletic group or natural group, is a group of organisms that is composed of a common ancestor and all of its descendants. Clades are the fundamental unit of cladistics, a modern approach t ...
with a specimen from Madeira
Madeira ( ; ), officially the Autonomous Region of Madeira (), is an autonomous Regions of Portugal, autonomous region of Portugal. It is an archipelago situated in the North Atlantic Ocean, in the region of Macaronesia, just under north of ...
and individuals of the offshore form of South Africa. They were first recorded in the Azores
The Azores ( , , ; , ), officially the Autonomous Region of the Azores (), is one of the two autonomous regions of Portugal (along with Madeira). It is an archipelago composed of nine volcanic islands in the Macaronesia region of the North Atl ...
in 2004 and showing mixed traits of offshore and inshore forms, but do not occur in the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
(regarding the bones of a baleen whale found, Bryde's whale was listed as one of suggested species). They appear to occur off Brazil year-round, such as around Rio de Janeiro
Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...
— Cape Frio, Armação dos Búzios, entrance to Guanabara Bay, Ilha Anchieta State Park, Ilha Grande, and so on. Individuals of the inshore form off South Africa are also resident year-round, occurring mainly between Cape Recife and Saldanha Bay
Saldanha Bay () is a natural harbour on the south-western coast of South Africa. The town that developed on the northern shore of the bay, also called Saldanha, Western Cape, Saldanha, was incorporated with five other towns into the Saldanha Bay ...
, whereas the larger offshore form migrates to West African equatorial waters in the winter.[Luksenburg, Jolanda A. and George Sangster. (2012). "Molecular identification of the first Bryde's whale (''Balaenoptera brydei'') for Aruba, southern Caribbean". ''The Cetaceans of Aruba: a Multidisciplinary Study'' 98.] Regular occurrences have been noted around Cape Verde
Cape Verde or Cabo Verde, officially the Republic of Cabo Verde, is an island country and archipelagic state of West Africa in the central Atlantic Ocean, consisting of ten volcanic islands with a combined land area of about . These islands ...
as well.
''B. edeni''
The type specimen is from the Gulf of Martaban coast of Myanmar, while other referred specimens were found on the Bay of Bengal
The Bay of Bengal is the northeastern part of the Indian Ocean. Geographically it is positioned between the Indian subcontinent and the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese peninsula, located below the Bengal region.
Many South Asian and Southe ...
coast of Myanmar, Bangladesh
Bangladesh, officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, eighth-most populous country in the world and among the List of countries and dependencies by ...
, India, Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
to Vietnam
Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...
, Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
and continental China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. A population found off southern and southwestern Japan in the East China Sea has also been referred to ''B. edeni''. A whale stranded in Hong Kong
Hong Kong)., Legally Hong Kong, China in international treaties and organizations. is a special administrative region of China. With 7.5 million residents in a territory, Hong Kong is the fourth most densely populated region in the wor ...
and another saved from a river in eastern Australia were found to be closely related to the Junge specimen and the East China Sea whales. Bryde's whale (most had auxiliary ridges) of small size—estimated at in length—sighted off the northeastern side of the Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
during a survey in late November and early December 1993 may be referable to ''B. edeni''. Four of the whales, estimated at in length, were accompanied by calves that ranged from in length. It is unknown whether eight small individuals—reaching only at maturity—caught off western and eastern Australia between 1958 and 1963 are specimens of ''B. edeni'' or ''B. omurai''. Along Chinese coasts, for example, whales were once thought to be abundant along southern coasts from Fujian
Fujian is a provinces of China, province in East China, southeastern China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capital is Fuzhou and its largest prefe ...
and Guangdong
) means "wide" or "vast", and has been associated with the region since the creation of Guang Prefecture in AD 226. The name "''Guang''" ultimately came from Guangxin ( zh, labels=no, first=t, t= , s=广信), an outpost established in Han dynasty ...
Provinces to Hainan
Hainan is an island provinces of China, province and the southernmost province of China. It consists of the eponymous Hainan Island and various smaller islands in the South China Sea under the province's administration. The name literally mean ...
Island and the north-eastern tip of the Gulf of Tonkin such as off Tieshangang District and around Weizhou and Xieyang Islands.
Population
The population may include up to 90,000–100,000 animals worldwide, with two-thirds inhabiting the Northern Hemisphere
The Northern Hemisphere is the half of Earth that is north of the equator. For other planets in the Solar System, north is defined by humans as being in the same celestial sphere, celestial hemisphere relative to the invariable plane of the Solar ...
.
For management purposes, the U.S. population is divided into three groups: the Eastern Tropical Pacific stock (11,000–13,000 animals) and the Hawaiian stock (350–500) and an endangered stock of about 100 whales in the Gulf of Mexico. As of 2016, the Bryde's whale is considered to be critically endangered
An IUCN Red List critically endangered (CR or sometimes CE) species is one that has been categorized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature as facing an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. As of December 2023, of t ...
in New Zealand
New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
as there are approximately 200 left in the wild.[Archived a]
Ghostarchive
and th
Wayback Machine
Prior to 2006, only two confirmed sightings of Bryde's whale had been reported in the eastern North Pacific north of Baja California—one in January 1963, only a kilometer off La Jolla (originally misidentified as a fin whale), and another in October 1991 west of Monterey Bay
Monterey Bay is a bay of the Pacific Ocean located on the coast of the U.S. state of California, south of the San Francisco Bay Area. San Francisco itself is further north along the coast, by about 75 miles (120 km), accessible via California S ...
. Between August 2006 and September 2010, six sightings were made by scientists in the Southern California Bight. Five were west of San Clemente Island, and one between San Clemente Island and Santa Catalina Island. All but one involved single individuals. Another sighting was made off Dana Point, California, on 19 September 2009, which was originally misidentified as a fin whale. On 15 May 2025, a deceased Bryde's whale washed ashore in Port McNeill Bay on northern Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.
In general, data are insufficient to determine population trends.
Conservation
''Balaenoptera edeni'' is listed as least concern by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.[
It is listed in Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES) Appendix I, which prohibits commercial international trade.]
''Balaenoptera brydei'' has yet to be evaluated.
Bryde's whale is listed on Appendix II[Appendix II]
" of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). As amended by the Conference of the Parties in 1985, 1988, 1991, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2002, 2005 and 2008. Effective: 5 March 2009. of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. It is listed on Appendix II as it has an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements.
In addition, Bryde's whale is covered by the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region ( Pacific Cetaceans MOU).
Whaling
Historically, this species was not significantly targeted by commercial whalers, but became more important in the 1970s as the industry depleted other targets. Artisanal whalers have taken them off the coasts of Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
and the Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
.
Modern whaling for Bryde's whales is thought to have begun from coastal stations in Japan in 1906, where it continued uninterrupted until 1987—they were also caught offshore in the western North Pacific by both Japanese (1971–79) and Soviet
The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...
(1966–79) fleets, as well as from Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
(1976–80), the Bonin Islands
The Bonin Islands, also known as the , is a list of islands of Japan, Japanese archipelago of over 30 subtropical and Island#Tropical islands, tropical islands located around SSE of Tokyo and northwest of Guam. The group as a whole has a total ...
(1946–52 and 1981–87), and the Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
(1983–85). In 1997, an estimated over 20,000 Bryde's whales had been caught in the western North Pacific between 1911 and 1987 (the Japanese were later found to have falsified their reported take from the Bonin Islands between 1981 and 1987, reporting a catch of only 2,659 instead of the true take of 4,162). A population assessment done in the mid-1990s stated that the population in the western North Pacific may have declined by as much as 49% during 1911–96. Norwegian factory ships off Baja California took an additional 34 Bryde's whales between 1924 and 1929; two were also caught off central California in 1966.
An estimated 5,542 Bryde's whales were caught off Peru between 1968 and 1983, including a reported catch of 3,589 between 1973 and 1983. An unknown number were also caught off Chile from 1932 to 1979. Over 2,000 were caught off Cape Province, South Africa, from 1911 to 1967, most (1,300) during 1947–67. The majority of the 2,536 sei whales caught by the pirate whaler ''Sierra'' in the South Atlantic between 1969 and 1976 are believed to have been Bryde's whales. At least some Bryde's whales were among the 5,000 sei whales recorded in the catch off Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
from 1948 to 1977, but possibly only 8%.
Over 30,000 Bryde's whales were caught between 1911 and '87, including over 1,400 taken by the Soviets in the Southern Hemisphere from 1948 to 1973 (only 19 were reported). The peak reported catches were reached in 1973–74 and 1974–75, when over 1,800 were taken each year.
Other threats and incidents
Around 2011, a videographer named Michael Fishbach filmed a Bryde's whale weighing being hunted and killed by a pack of 20 orca in the Sea of Cortez.
Bryde's whales have not been reported as taken or injured in fishing operations. They are sometimes killed or injured by ship strikes. Anthropogenic noise is an increasing concern for all rorquals, which communicate by low-frequency sounds.
These whales are protected off the US by the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972.
In March 2019, a diver off the coast of South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
was accidentally caught in the mouth of a feeding Bryde's whale. The diver and tour-operator, Rainer Schimpf, was photographing sharks circling a bait-ball of fish
A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...
, when the whale suddenly appeared from below and opened its mouth near the surface in an attempt to swallow the fish. In doing so, it accidentally engulfed Schimpf as well; his entire upper body (down to his waist) went into the whale's mouth. The whale gripped him with its jaws for a few moments as Schimpf held his breath and feared the whale would deep dive. Soon after the whale submerged again, it quickly spat Schimpf (who was unharmed) back out and swam away.
Tourists on jet skis have harassed whales off the gulf coast of Phetchaburi Province, Thailand.
See also
* List of cetaceans
*Marine biology
Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms that inhabit the sea. Given that in biology many scientific classification, phyla, family (biology), families and genera have some species that live in the sea and ...
References
Bibliography
* Baker A.N.; Madon B. (2007). Bryde's whales (''Balaenoptera'' cf. ''brydei'' Olsen 1913) in the Hauraki Gulf and Northeastern New Zealand waters. ''Science for Conservation 272''. p. 23. Department of Conservation, New Zealand
Bryse's whales (Balaenoptera cf. brydei Olsen 1913) in the Hauraki Gulf and northeastern New Zealand waters
(PDF) . Retrieved on 2011-09-15.
*''National Audubon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World'', Reeves, Stewart, Clapham and Powell, 2002, .
*''Whales & Dolphins Guide to the Biology and Behaviour of Cetaceans'', Maurizio Wurtz and Nadia Repetto. .
*''Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals'', editors Perrin, Wursig and Thewissen, .
*''Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises'', Carwardine (1995, reprinted 2000), .
Named after a Norwegian diplomat
The Star, 16 December 2006.
External links
– American Cetacean Society
Drone footage of Bryde's whales feeding
*
{{Taxonbar, from=Q221056, from2=Q2144297
Balaenoptera
Cetaceans of the Indian Ocean
Cetaceans of the Atlantic Ocean
Cetaceans of the Pacific Ocean
Mammals described in 1913
Animal species groups