Bryde's whale
Balaenoptera edeni
Taxonomy unresolved. Treated here as B. edeni (Bryde's whale complex); Anderson (2005) notes Maldivian animals may be referable to B. brydei (often treated as B. edeni brydei).
- English
- Bryde's whale
- Scientific
- Balaenoptera edeni
- Dhivehi
- Katterumas
- Group
- Baleen whales
- Maximum size
- Up to about 15.5 m
- Depth and habitat
- Open ocean and the deep channels between atolls
- IUCN status
- LC · Least ConcernLeast Concern (LC), assessed 2017
Description
A medium-sized rorqual, dark smoky grey above and paler below, distinguished from similar whales by three parallel ridges running along the top of the head. It feeds on schooling fish such as anchovies and on krill, often lunging at the surface on its side or vertically. It is a tropical and warm-water species that does not make long polar migrations. Its blow is tall but less dense than a blue whale's.
In the Maldives
Seen year-round in small numbers and apparently commoner during El Niño years. A notable feeding concentration was recorded in the Vattaru Channel (between Vaavu and Meemu atolls) in March to May 1998. Often associated with yellowfin tuna.
Sources
- sealifebase.se /summary/Balaenoptera-edeni.html
- mammalwatching.com /wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Maldives-cetaceans-review-2012.pdf
- mrc.gov.mv /assets/Uploads/2005-Observations-of-cetaceans-in-the-Maldives-1990-20
- commons.wikimedia.org /wiki/File:Bryde's_whale_1.jpg
Dhivehi name source: Anderson (2005): fishermen use 'katterumas' ('scissors fish') for whales that lunge through the surface with mouth agape, a name that 'probably applies best to Bryde's whales'. Latin only; no sourced Thaana.