(Photo by Doug Perrine) Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera brydei) are named after Norwegian whaling entrepreneur Johan Bryde. These whales are found in tropical and sub-tropical latitudes in the Indian Ocean and can be also seen anywhere along the south-eastern Cape coast especially during autumn and early winter, when shoals of small fish are plentiful inshore and are easily spotted. When these whales are at sea they are difficult to be differentiated from other similar types of whales. One distinguishable feature is their dark grey upper body that has a ‘blotched’ appearance. Bryde’s whales are baleen whales (see this previous post) which use mesh like mouth plates to filter food from the sea. Among the Bryde’s found off the south-eastern Cape coast there are two different populations. One is resident non-migratory in inshore, shallow waters, where shoals of small fish are found in abundance. The second is an offshore stock, undertaking seasonal migrations and occurring here only in spring and summer. Bryde’s whales feed on small crustaceans and small shoaling fish. They are not fast swimmers, but they can move rapidly when disturbed. These whales move around alone or in small groups, and can dive to a depth of 1,000 feet. They breed all the year round and the gestation period is estimated to be 12 months. They use low frequency calls to find each other across great distances. Their approximate weight is around 25 tons and they measure 12 to 15 meters in length.  (Source)
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tagged as: bryde's whale. bryde's whales. balaenoptera brydei. brydes whale. brydes whales. bryde whale. bryde whales. whale. whales. the ocean. ocean. the sea. sea. marine. marine mammals. marine animals. animals. sea creatures. marine biology. biology. underwater. underwater photography. photography. doug perrine. cape coast. johan bryde. beautiful. gigantic.
reblogged from cetaceansensation
originally posted by oceansoftheworld

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    (Photo by Doug Perrine) Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera brydei) are named after Norwegian whaling entrepreneur Johan Bryde....
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    I am terrible at telling Bryde’s whales apart from minke… ;-;
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Source: oceansoftheworld