The whale watching season commences in May and runs through to November each year. The Bryde's Whale prefers warmer temperatures of about 16c. A large number of their population tend to stay in one area if they take a liking to the region. While others will migrate away from the equator in summer and return in winter. Bryde's Whale will stay between Latitude 40N and 40S. This means they travel no further south than southern Australia.

Bryde's Whale - scientific name Balaenoptera edeni

The Brydes Whale is a huge mammal growing to approximately 16 metres. Their body is long and slender with a grey top side and white to cream and sometimes light purple underneath. Their dorsal fin is about two-thirds back along their body and can be seen as they surface. From their nose back are 3 parallel longitudinal ridges on the head that run down to their blowhole. Most whales have just one ridge. The nose is long and pointy and their mouth does not have teeth. Instead, they have plates which they filter fish through and digest.

Interesting Bryde's Whale Facts

• They eat about 600 kg of food per day which is approximately 4% of their weight
• They can stay submerged for up to 20 minutes
• They do not have teeth
• They were named after a Norwegian whaler named Johan Bryde
• The name Bryde is pronounced "broo-dess"
• They eat plankton, krill, crustaceans and school fish

Bryde's whales swim alone or in pairs. Sometimes you will see groups of them. Their average cruising speed is 8kph and up to 24kph at their fastest. They are quite nimble for their size and tend to stay within 20 metres of the water's surface.

Brydes Whale Mating and Breeding

As the information of the age of the Bryde's whale, it has been observed that the female becomes sexually active at 10 metres and the male at 12 metres. The birthing process is about 1 year which then produces a 3.4metre calf. The calf is weaned off at 6 months or when they reach 7 metres in length.

Brydes Whale Population Australia

They say the number of Bryde's Whale is about 10,000. The data is not that clear. So you can count yourself lucky if you happen to see one of these amazing mammals.

What Do Brydes Whales Eat

The Bryde's Whale is an opportunist hunter. The smaller coastal Brydes often let other predators round up their prey in a kind of ball shape then they go in mouth open and take what they can. When they do this type of feeding they will also be in the vicinity of sharks, whales, seals and other feeders.  This is a very hungry mammal consuming 4% of their body weight daily. Whereas the larger Bryde's whale will be in deeper waters feeding on crustaceans.