Suspected Bryde’s Whale Found!!
A suspected Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni) was trapped in a fishing net, approximately 500 meters away from the coastline of Barangay Sawang, Buenavista, Guimaras at around 3:00 AM of January 25, 2017 by a Barangay Kagawad of the said Barangay. The Bryde’s Whale measures 4.35 meters long and 0.99 meters wide. According to the coastguard who assisted in the retrieval of the dead species, a fishing net and rope were found inside its mouth which perhaps resulted to its death. Please help us comfirm its ID!!
Source: Lilian Diana Buston Parreno Facebook, via Marine Wildlife Watch of the Philippines Facebook
The rostral ridges are diagnostic features seen in Bryde’s Whale (Balaenoptera edeni).
The taxonomy of the Bryde’s Whale is still far from settled; what we call the Bryde’s Whale has been split into two subspecies or even distinct species by some authorities: the true Bryde’s Whale, a larger species found in tropical and warm temperate waters worldwide (Balaenoptera brydei), and the Eden’s Whale, a smaller form that may be restricted to coastal waters of the Indo-Pacific (Balaenoptera edeni). Both species(?) have been recorded from tropical waters of Southeast Asia.
(This is Part 2 of a 2-part photo set)
