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Family: Balaenopteridae
Genus: Balaenoptera
Species: B. ricei
Taxonomic Note: Rice’s whale is nearly identical to Bryde’s whale. However, researchers studying a dead specimen of Florida determined from DNA that it was a separate species.
Very little is known about Bryde’s whale, for up to the 1960s, those spotted in their exclusive distribution region were thought to be Bryde’s whales. As it turns out, Rice’s whales are one of the rarest of all whales, with an estimated population of less than 100 animals. Dr. Dale Rice was the first to identify and write about them, thus the whales were named for the late scientist.
Physical Description: Rice’s whales have nearly all the same physical characteristics as Bryde’s whales.
Color: Similar to Bryde’s whales.
Fins and Flukes: Similar to Bryde’s whales.
Length and Weight: Similar to Bryde’s whales.
Throat Grooves: Similar to Bryde’s whales.
Baleen Plates: Unknown, but most likely similar to Bryde’s whales.
Feeding: They most likely feed on schooling fish.
Breathing and Diving: Similar to Bryde’s whales.
Mating and Breeding: They are thought to reproduce every 2 to 3 years, reaching sexual maturity at 9 years.
Herding: With such a small population and with sightings so rare, little is known.
Distribution: They are found exclusively in the Gulf of Mexico.
Migration: Unknown
BRYDE’S WHALE DISTRIBUTION
