Rare whales off NT coast
A RARE species of whale has been spotted off the Top End for the first time.
A group of fishermen spotted two Bryde’s whales while fishing off Cape Arnhem on Sunday.
“Out of the corner of my eye I saw one of many tuna bust-ups when a huge head appeared out of the water and pretty much inhaled the whole bait school,” fisherman Murray Knyvett said.
“We quickly realised they were whales of some sort and much bigger than false killers.”
The description given by the fisherman, long and slender in body shape with a narrow nose and thick tail section matched that of Bryde’s whales, scientist Carol Palmer said.
“The Bryde’s whale do not migrate over long distances and they feed all year round, unlike some other baleen whales, such as the humpback whale,” she said. It is the first time this type of whale had been documented in Top End waters, Dr Palmer said.
The Bryde’s whale can measure up to 15 metres and has twin blowholes.