Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni)

Group formation: Solitary (mother-calf pair or larger feeding groups up to 20)

Size: males 12-15 m, females 12-16 m, calf 4 m

Weight: ca. 40 t, calf 1 t

Spout: 3-4 m

Age: 40-70 yrs

Sexual maturity: 8-11 yrs

Gestation: 11-12 mths, with 2 yrs in between

Weaning: 6-7 months

Diet: Fish, planktonic crustaceans, and cephalopods.

Predators: killer whales, sharks, especially cookie cutter sharks.

Distribution: Worldwide within highly productive tropical, subtropical and warm temperate waters in all oceans from 40° South to 40° North, they do not migrate.

Raja Ampat: might be a local population but this is not confirmed yet.

Population size: global ca. 90.000 – 100.000

Conservation Status: Data Deficient ver 3.1, Pop. trend: unknown

Threats: Vessel collisions, whaling (Japan, Indonesia, Philippines), chemical and plastic pollution, man-made noise impacts (seismic surveys, military sonar), entanglement in fishing gear, over fishing.