July always holds many surprises, this year the month has been truly outstanding - a feeding Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei) sighted two days in a row off the south coast of Pico. While Blue, Fin and Sei whales are often encountered in our waters during the season, the Bryde's whales is mostly found in tropical and semi-tropical waters and rarely ventures into the somewhat higher latitudes of the Azores. The excitement of the close encounter turned into a lifetime experience when the Bryde's whale started to feed on the surface, giving us a chance to see the baleen and the expanded throat grooves just a few metres away from our boat (see picture below).

Bryde's whale gulp feeding (Balaenoptera brydei)
Photo by Petra Szlama - CW Azores Staff

The Bryde's whale can grow to 15 metres long and weigh up to 15 metric tonnes. It is named after the Norwegian whaler Johan Bryde (pronounced 'broodus').

Bryde's whale (Balaenoptera brydei)
Photo by Sara Rezk - CW Azores Staff

The Bryde's whale is not an easy one to identify, especially in waters where Fin and, most notably, Sei whales are also commonly seen. The key feature of the Bryde's is the presence of three longitudinal ridges on the top of head; the other balanopterids only have one central ridge running from the blowholes to the tip of the snout.


Bryde's whale - detail of the throat grooves that work a bit like an accordion, allowing the whale
to expand the volume ot its mouth and filter a larger amount of seawater
Photo by Petra Szlama - CW Azores Staff 

While telling apart Bryde's and Sei whale is extremely challenging, ruling out Fin whales is a bit easier. Indeed, the lower jaw of a Fin whale is peculiar in that it is white on the right side and black on the left side. Taking photos of both sides of an individual often allows us to clarify the identity of a Fin whale.


Common dolphins associated to the Bryde's whale
Photo by Sara Rezk - CW Azores Staff

We celebrate this rare sighting as a tribute to the amazing species diversity we are gifted to witness in the waters around Pico island.