Brydes Whale

Brydes Whale occur year round along the entire coast of South Africa and can be viewed on the Cape Whale Route.

Named after a Norwegian man, Johan Bryde, who, in 1912, financed the first scientific investigation of whales in South African waters and helped set up the first whaling station in Durban.

Features: Bluish-grey. A slender body, the top of the head is broad and flat. 3 Ridges on the head from the blowhole to the tip of the snout. The dorsal fin is about 45 cm long, sickle-shaped and with a pointed tip

Length: 12 - 14,6 m

Weight: 12 000 - 20 000 Kg

Cruising speed: 4 - 16 knots

Blow: Tall and thin, about 4 m high

Status: Insufficiently known.

Diet: plankton (e.g., krill and copepods), crustaceans (e.g. pelagic red crabs, shrimp) as well as schooling fish (e.g., anchovy, herring, sardine, mackerel, and pilchard).

Reproduction: breed in alternate years; gestation period is estimated at 12 months, mother nurses for 6–12 months and become sexually mature at 8–13 years of age.

More Info
Wikipedia

See also Humpback Whale and Southern Right Whales