Balaenoptera edeni Anderson, 1879
Eden's whale
Balaenoptera edeni
photo by Dolar, M. Louella L.

Family:  Balaenopteridae (rorquals, finback whales)
Max. size:  1550 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 25,000 kg
Environment:  pelagic; marine; depth range 0 - 3000 m
Distribution:  Atlantic Ocean and Indo-Pacific. Tropical and subtropical.
Diagnosis:   
Biology:  Depth range based on reported depth in Angola (Ref. 83346). Found both offshore, near the coast in many areas (Ref. 1394) and shelf waters (Ref. 122680). Commonly in groups of 10 to 20 individuals on feeding grounds (Ref. 801). They are active lunge feeders (Ref. 1394). Known as 'gulpers,' feeding in separate events, often lunging at large schools of fish (Ref. 122680). Feeds primarily on fish, but they also take invertebrates (Ref. 1394) like krill (Ref. 122680). Oceanodromous (Ref. 75906).
IUCN Red List Status: (LC); Date assessed: 27 December 2017 Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans: 
Country info:   
 

Source and more info: www.sealifebase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.