Observation of Bryde’s Whale <i>Balanoptera edeni / brydei</i> (Cetartiodactyla: Balaenoptiidae) in the offshore waters of southern Odisha, eastern India

Abstract

The paper reports the first sighting of a live Bryde’s Whale Balanoptera edeni / brydei from Odisha waters with notes on its behaviour. The paper also discusses an adjacent Bryde’s Whale population in Bangladesh, north of Odisha; previous records of Bryde’s Whales from Indian waters and possible threats to these cetaceans due to development activities in Odisha waters.