Bryde's Whale

Fascinating facts about the Bryde's Whale

• A 15.51-metre (50.9-ft) female caught off South Africa in 1962 holds the record for the longest Bryde's whale measured, while a 14.56-metre (47.8-ft) male from 1963 is the longest male on record. Newborn calves are only 3.95-4.15 m (13.0-13.6 ft) long, and adults weigh between 12 and 25 metric tons, though the heaviest estimated individual could reach 40 tonnes. The oldest known individual lived to 72 years.
• In Japan's western North Pacific, Bryde's whales eat almost exclusively Japanese anchovy (52 % of stomach contents) and euphausiids (36 %), with light fish and a small amount of mackerel making up the rest. Near the coast, euphausiids dominate even more, forming 89 % of the diet in May and 75 % in June. Off South Africa, the inshore form feeds on anchovies (83 %), maasbankers (36 %) and pilchards (33 %), while the offshore form switches to mainly euphausiids and deep-sea fish, sometimes even "full of baby squid."
• Global estimates suggest there are 90,000-100,000 Bryde's whales, with roughly two-thirds living in the Northern Hemisphere. In U.S. waters the species is split into three management stocks: 11,000-13,000 in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, 350-500 in Hawaii, and an endangered Gulf of Mexico group of about 100 individuals. These numbers highlight that while the species appears abundant overall, regional populations can be tiny and vulnerable to local threats.
• Panama's new port project threatens a mangrove corridor that shelters Bryde's whales alongside hawksbill turtles and critically endangered Pacific smalltail sharks. The mangroves, which protect about 25 % of the country's total mangrove area, will lose 3.08 ha (7.61 ac) of mangroves and another 9 million m³ of sediment will be removed during construction.
• Bryde's whales give birth after a 12-month gestation to calves 3.4-4.0 m (11-13 ft) long that weigh about 1,000 kg (2,200 lb). Females reach sexual maturity at 12 m (39 ft) length around 8-13 years old, and mothers nurse their young for 6-12 months.

Sources

Every fact above was checked against these pages, and kept only where one of them states it.

• Wikipedia
• Mongabay

At a glance

About the Bryde's Whale

In the warm, sun-drenched waters of the tropical seas, the Bryde's whale glides effortlessly, its sleek, grey body undulating as it pursues the abundant shoals of fish that dart through the coral reefs. With a gentle, loping motion, it moves through the ocean's waves, its broad, flat head slicing through the surface with barely a ripple, as if drawn by an unseen force to the richest feeding grounds. As it feeds, its voice echoes through the water, a low, rumbling melody that resonates deep within the marine world, a haunting serenade to the secrets of the deep.

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