Carcass Of Endangered Bryde’s Whale found at Odisha Coast
The carcass of an endangered Bryde’s whale was found near the border of Puri and Ganjam districts of Odisha, recently.
Highlights
- It was a 48-foot-long female whale, buried near the shore.
- Exact cause of the death will be known only after getting post-mortem report.
- Two whales, one male and the other female, were found near the coast. It is likely that, carcass is of a female got stuck in the sea bed because of low water level.
Bryde’s whale or Bryde’s whale complex
- Bryde’s whale comprises of three species of rorqual and maybe four. “Complex” means the number and its classification remains unclear due to lack of definitive information & research.
- Common Bryde’s whale is a larger form occurring worldwide in warm temperate and tropical waters
- Sittang or Eden’s whale is a smaller form, which are restricted to the Indo-Pacific.
- A smaller & coastal form of B. Brydei is found off southern Africa.
Common name
Brydei have got its specific and common name from Johan Bryde, who was a Norwegian consul to South Africa. He helped in establishing the first modern whaling station. B. edeni gets its specific and common names from Sir Ashley Eden who was the former High Commissioner of Myanmar.
Distribution of B. brydei
Brydei occurs in Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans in between the 40th parallels of latitude. They prefer highly productive, tropical, subtropical, and warm, temperate waters having 16–22 °C. They also occur in Honshu in the north Pacific, west & southern California as well as in Washington in the United States.
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Month: Current Affairs - December, 2021