Bryde's whales are named after Norwegian whaling entrepreneur Johan Bryde, nearly hundred years ago. These whales are found in tropical and sub-tropical latitudes in the Indian Ocean and can be also seen anywhere along the south-eastern Cape coast especially during autumn and early winter, when shoals of small fish are plentiful inshore and are easily spotted. When these whales are at sea they are difficult to be differentiated from other similar types of whales. They are most often confused with minke whales, because both have prominent dorsal fins. Minke and Bryde's whales can be distinguished by their feeding patterns. Minke whales swim at the surface, on the perimeter of fish shoals, taking fish on the outside of the shoal. In contrast to the Minke whale Bryde's whales can be seen lunging up through shoals, sometimes exposing the whole head with the mouth massively distended and scattering any penguins and gannets in the way.  The upper body of Bryde's whales is dark grey with a 'blotched' appearance.

Bryde’s whales are baleen whales which use mesh like mouth plates to filter food from the sea. They target more mobile prey. Among the Bryde’s found off the south-eastern Cape coast there are two different populations. One is resident non-migratory in inshore, shallow waters, where shoals of small fish are found in abundance. The second is an offshore stock, undertaking seasonal migrations and occurring here only in spring and summer. Bryde's whales feed on small crustaceans and small shoaling fish, the inshore resident feed on small shoaling fish, mostly pilchards, anchovies and mossbunker. They are not fast swimmers, but they can move rapidly when disturbed.

These whales are not a big target to whalers and scientists, for the simple reason that they are really hard to find. These whales move around alone or in small groups, and can dive to a depth of 1,000 feet. They breed all the year round and the gestation period is estimated to be 12 months. They use low frequency calls to find each other across great distances. Their approximate weight is around 25 tons and they measure 12 to 15 metres in length. The calves weigh 1000 kilograms and are 4 metres long at birth. They have a very broad and short head with 40 to 70 ventral grooves and large eyes. They have three longitudinal ridges on their head starting from the tip of the snout back to the blowhole.

Brydes whales are listed as Data Deficient by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN). They are also listed on Conservation on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora which prohibits international trade.