Today we encountered a well known pair of Bryde’s whales, a mother and calf, that have been sporadically seen along Costa Adeje on our whale watching tours for over a year now. We can identify these two by the unique markings on the adult females dorsal fin (with a good photo!). This time we managed to get the drone up and collect some wonderful video of the two Bryde’s whales swimming together.

Bryde’s whales are unique in that they are one of the only species of baleen whale that does not migrate. They seem to prefer warm oceans and their distribution is circumtropical. There is a catalog created by Association Tonina that has identified a number of the Bryde’s whales regularly observed around Tenerife and neighbouring Canary Islands.

Bryde’s whales are also not very well studied. Their populations are small and so little is known about them that their scientific name is still debated, especially depending on where in the world they are located. We don’t even know how old this baby is. How long does a Bryde’s whale calf nurse? How long does it stay with its mother? So much to learn – but for now, lets just enjoy these amazing moments marvelling at one of natures beautiful mysteries.