In general, Bryde's Whales have a very broad and
short head, with between 40 and 70 ventral grooves,
and relatively large eyes.

The Bryde’s whale is a baleen whale (and is unique amongst
these in that it has three longitudinal ridges on its
head, from the tip of the snout back to the blowhole
the other rorquals have just one ridge.

The whale has twin blowholes with a low splashguard to
the front. Like other rorquals it has no teeth but has
two rows of baleen plates.

The prominently curved, pointed dorsal fin is readily
seen when a Bryde's Whale surfaces. The flippers are small
and slender; the broad, centrally notched tail flukes never
break the surface.

Colour varies: the back is generally dark grey or blue to black,
the ventral area a lighter cream, shading to greyish purple on
the belly. Some have a number of whitish-grey spots,
which may be scars from parasites or shark attacks.

Facts