By Jolene Bertoldi - Flickr: Brydes whale, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=21266172
A smaller coastal form of B. brydei is found off Southern Africa. A B. brydei in False Bay, South Africa, showing upright dorsal fin, which is often nicked or frayed on its trailing edge (shown above)
Walvis
They typically dive for five to fifteen minutes (up to twenty) following four to seven blows. The depth to which Bryde's whales can descend is 292 meters (958 ft).
Two-thirds of the population, approximately 90,000–100,000 animals, are thought to live in the Northern Hemisphere. This species was formerly not heavily hunted by commercial whalers, but in the 1970s, when other prey became scarce, it gained importance.
Between 1968 and 1983, it is estimated that 5,542 Bryde's whales were taken off the coast of Peru, with 3,589 of those being taken between 1973 and 1983. Between 1932 and 1979, an undetermined number were also caught off Chile. Between 1911 and 1967, more than 2,000 fish were taken off Cape Province, South Africa.
In the Sea of Cortez, around 2011, a filmmaker by the name of Michael Fishbach captured footage of a 20-ton (20,000 kg) Bryde's whale being pursued and killed by a pack of 20 orcas.
Man versus whale. There is only one winner. But then there was this great escape.
- Off the coast of South Africa in March 2019, a diver got unintentionally swallowed by a Bryde's whale that was feeding.
- A diver and tour operator, Rainer Schimpf was filming sharks around a bait-ball of fish at the time. A Bryde's whale unexpectedly surfaced from underneath and extended its mouth near the surface in an effort to ingest the fish. Schimpf's entire upper torso, down to his waist, was unintentionally swallowed by the whale. Schimpf held his breath, fearing the whale might dive deep, while it kept him in its jaws for a little while. The whale briefly surfaced and spat Schimpf (who was unhurt) back out and swam away.
Other Common Names
English
Brooders Whale
Bryde's Whale
Bryde’s Whale Complex
Common Bryde's Whale
Eden's Whale
Pygmy Bryde's Whale
South African Bryde's Whale
Tropical Whale
(*) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bryde%27s_whale
(*) https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/41558-Balaenoptera-edeni