Up until the latter part of the 20th century, Bryde's whales were often confused with Fin and Sei whales, even by whalers. So, records on their numbers over time are fairly unreliable.

Brief Description:

• Typical full-grown length: up to 14 meters (about 46 feet)

• Color: dark gray overall

• Shape of head: long and V-shaped (viewed from above) with series of three parallel ridges from area of blowholes to snout

• Dorsal (back): fin is up to 50 cm (about 20") high, curved like a sickle ("falcate"), more than a third of the body forward from the end of its tail, and often irregularly worn

• Tail movement: not raised on dives

• Habitat: primarily tropical and warm temperate

• Other facts: its baleen ("teethlike") are slate gray with coarse dark bristles