Bryde's whale

브라이드고래

Bryde's whale is a slim gray baleen whale marked by three ridges along the top of its head. About 12 to 15 m long, it stays in warm tropical and temperate seas all year instead of making the long migrations of many other whales.

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At a glance

Class: Mammals
Lives in: Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean
Diet: Filter feeder
Length: about 13 m
Conservation status: Least Concern (IUCN LC)
Habitat: open ocean, coasts

Quick answers

Where does the Bryde's whale live?

It lives in open ocean, coasts of the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian oceans. On the globe you can find it near Bay of Bengal, Indian Ocean.

How big is the Bryde's whale?

It grows to about 13 m.

What does the Bryde's whale eat?

Its diet: filter feeder.

Is the Bryde's whale endangered?

It is listed as Least Concern (IUCN LC).

Bryde's whale is a slim gray baleen whale of warm tropical and temperate seas. It is a member of the rorqual family, and the name is said 'BRUU-dəz'. It is easy to tell from similar whales by the three ridges along the top of its head. Adults are about 12 to 15 metres long.

Unlike many whales it stays in warm water all year instead of making long migrations. Scientists call it a complex because they are still working out how many species it really includes. Like other rorquals, it has throat pleats that expand when it takes a huge gulp of water and fish. Its three head ridges make it easy to recognise, unlike similar rorquals, which have only one.

How many kinds are there?

The common Bryde's whale, Balaenoptera brydei, is a larger form found worldwide in warm waters. A smaller form, Eden's or Sittang whale, may be restricted to the Indo-Pacific. In 2021 scientists described Rice's whale, which lives only in the Gulf of Mexico, as a separate species. Its colour is usually dark gray above and lighter below. The pronunciation of Bryde's is 'BRUU-dəz'. Scientists use the name for a complex because the number of true species is still being worked out.

Where does the name come from?

It is named after Johan Bryde, a Norwegian consul in South Africa who helped set up the first modern whaling station there. Early Japanese whalers called it the anchovy whale or skipjack whale because it feeds on anchovies. Anchovies are an important food for it. The whale's range covers warm temperate and tropical waters around the world. The common Bryde's whale is the larger form, while Eden's whale is smaller. Omura's whale was once thought to be a small Bryde's whale but is now a separate species.