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  • Whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida), non-breeding plumage. This bird species sometimes takes advantage of the feeding behavior of Eden’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) in the Gulf of Thailand. The whales bring fish up to the surface of the shallow waters of the Gulf, and the birds swoop in to grab a meal.
    whiskered-tern-non-breeding-plumage-...tif
  • This is an Indian anchovy (Stolephorus indicus), one of the anchovy species that Eden’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) feed upon in the Gulf of Thailand. It is also a primary ingredient for fish sauce, as well as many other foods in Thailand and Southeast Asia.
    indian-anchovy-stelophorus-indicus-g...tif
  • This is the carcass of a 12.8m female Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) that was brought into port on the bow of the ship pictured here. Though the cause of death was not entirely clear, the ship was known to have traveled for four to five days from China to Thailand. The whale could have died from impact. There were signs of blunt trauma, including the broken pectoral fin, which can be seen here. The whale was covered with bite marks from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that it was probably not one of the Gulf of Thailand’s resident Eden’s whales.
    dead-brydes-whale-thailand-201611-00...tif
  • Researchers preparing to retrieve the carcass of a 12.8m female Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) that appeared to have been brought into port on the bow of the ship pictured here. Though the cause of death was not entirely clear, the ship was known to have traveled for four to five days from China to Thailand. The whale could have died from impact. There were signs of blunt trauma, including the broken pectoral fin, which can be seen here. The whale was covered with bite marks from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that it was probably not one of the Gulf of Thailand’s resident Eden’s whales.
    dead-brydes-whale-thailand-201611-00...tif
  • This is the carcass of a 12.8m female Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) that was brought into port on the bow of the ship pictured here. Though the cause of death was not entirely clear, the ship was known to have traveled for four to five days from China to Thailand. The whale could have died from impact. There were signs of blunt trauma, including the broken pectoral fin, which can be seen here. The whale was covered with bite marks from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that it was probably not one of the Gulf of Thailand’s resident Eden’s whales.
    dead-brydes-whale-thailand-201611-00...tif
  • This is the pectoral fin of a 12.8m female Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) that appeared to have been brought into port on the bow of a ship. Though the cause of death was not entirely clear, the ship was known to have traveled for four to five days from China to Thailand. The whale could have died from impact, as suggested by the broken pectoral fin shown here. The whale was covered with bite marks from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that it was probably not one of the Gulf of Thailand’s resident Eden’s whales.
    broken-pectoral-fin-dead-brydes-whal...tif
  • This is the carcass of a 12.8m female Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) that was brought into port on the bow of the ship pictured here. Though the cause of death was not entirely clear, the ship was known to have traveled for four to five days from China to Thailand. The whale could have died from impact. There were signs of blunt trauma, including the broken pectoral fin, which can be seen here. The whale was covered with bite marks from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that it was probably not one of the Gulf of Thailand’s resident Eden’s whales.
    dead-brydes-whale-thailand-201611-00...tif
  • This is an adult female Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) named Mae Gunya and her calf Jao Khamsamut feeding on anchovies in the shallow waters of the upper Gulf of Thailand. Around them are whiskered terns (Chlidonias hybrida) flying in to grab fish brought up by the whales.
    edens-whale-mother-calf-feeding-anch...tif
  • Many of the Eden’s whales (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) in the Gulf of Thailand are displaying circular patterns on their skin like the ones visible here on the whale known as Phafun. The cause of these patterns has not been confirmed. It may be an infection, possibly due to a pox virus.
    eden-whale-thailand-possible-skin-in...tif
  • This is a young Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) in the Gulf of Thailand side-lunging through a mass of fish, likely Sardinella sp., that this whale and its mother had aggregated by swimming in a large circle. This circle and side-lunge technique has become the dominant foraging technique since 2017, replacing the open-mouth trap feeding strategy that had been prevalent since the 1990s. I believe this reflects a change of target prey. The whales adapt their foraging strategies to target species.
    balaenoptera-edeni-side-lunge-feedin...tif
  • A lone Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) feeding on small fish in the Gulf of Thailand, with whiskered terns (Chlidonias hybrida) flying in to grab an easy meal.
    edens-whale-feeding-gulf-thailand-20...tif
  • The is an adult female Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni) engaged in lunge-feeding behavior with her calf. The mother is on the left side of the image. The pair swam in a large circle to herd fish (likely Sardinella sp.), slapping the ocean surface once in a while presumably to drive the fish forward. When there are are enough fish swimming inside the arc created by the whales, they execute a quick turn so that their mouths open directly into the line of motion, thereby capturing a large mouthful of fish. The crest of the wave created by the arc of the whales’ rapid turn is visible behind them. Several species of terns take advantage of the whales’ efforts. This lunge-feeding behavior began to appear in the Gulf of Thailand in 2017 and has been the dominant feeding methodology during 2018.
    eden-whale-balaenoptera-edeni-lunge-...tif
  • Close-up view of the skin disease afflicting the Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Somtam. This unknown skin disease in common in the small population of Eden’s whales that reside in the Gulf of Thailand.
    balaenoptera-edeni-skin-disease-thai...tif
  • This is a young Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) in the Gulf of Thailand side-lunging through a mass of fish, likely Sardinella sp., that this whale and its mother had aggregated by swimming in a large circle. This circle and side-lunge technique has become the dominant foraging technique since 2017, replacing the open-mouth trap feeding strategy that had been prevalent since the 1990s. I believe this reflects a change of target prey. The whales adapt their foraging strategies to target species.
    balaenoptera-edeni-side-lunge-feedin...tif
  • Common terns (Sterna hirundo) flying alongside Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) in the Gulf of Thailand/ The terns follow whales in order to catch fish that the whales bring to the ocean surface.
    sterna-hirundo-following-balaenopter...tif
  • This is a rear view of the Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) Somtam. This whale has a cut in dorsal fin, visible from this angle. Also visible are the protrusions that mark the spinous process of each of the whale’s vertebrae.
    balaenoptera-edeni-gulf-thailand-201...tif
  • This is a male Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Mesa, demonstrating the Drawbridge technique for feeding on anchovies. The whale raises his head above water to approximately eye level, then drops his lower jaw rapidly as if lowering a drawbridge. He then maintains a stationary, mouth-open position for an extended period of time, sometimes up to 30 seconds, during which time anchovies jump into his mouth. When he collects sufficient fish, he closes his mouth and reenters the water. Mesa is part of an isolated population of Eden’s whales, which are a neritic member of the Bryde’s whale complex, that live in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. It is likely that there are 50 or less in the population. Photo 7 in sequence of 7 photos illustrating beginning of Drawbridge technique.
    eden-whale-male-mesa-drawbridge-feed...tif
  • This is a male Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Mesa, demonstrating the Drawbridge technique for feeding on anchovies. The whale raises his head above water to approximately eye level, then drops his lower jaw rapidly as if lowering a drawbridge. He then maintains a stationary, mouth-open position for an extended period of time, sometimes up to 30 seconds, during which time anchovies jump into his mouth. When he collects sufficient fish, he closes his mouth and reenters the water. Mesa is part of an isolated population of Eden’s whales, which are a neritic member of the Bryde’s whale complex, that live in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. It is likely that there are 50 or less in the population. Photo 6 in sequence of 7 photos illustrating beginning of Drawbridge technique.
    eden-whale-male-mesa-drawbridge-feed...tif
  • This is a male Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Mesa, demonstrating the Drawbridge technique for feeding on anchovies. The whale raises his head above water to approximately eye level, then drops his lower jaw rapidly as if lowering a drawbridge. He then maintains a stationary, mouth-open position for an extended period of time, sometimes up to 30 seconds, during which time anchovies jump into his mouth. When he collects sufficient fish, he closes his mouth and reenters the water. Mesa is part of an isolated population of Eden’s whales, which are a neritic member of the Bryde’s whale complex, that live in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. It is likely that there are 50 or less in the population. Photo 2 in sequence of 7 photos illustrating beginning of Drawbridge technique.
    eden-whale-male-mesa-drawbridge-feed...tif
  • This is a male Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Mesa, demonstrating the Drawbridge technique for feeding on anchovies. The whale raises his head above water to approximately eye level, then drops his lower jaw rapidly as if lowering a drawbridge. He then maintains a stationary, mouth-open position for an extended period of time, sometimes up to 30 seconds, during which time anchovies jump into his mouth. When he collects sufficient fish, he closes his mouth and reenters the water. Mesa is part of an isolated population of Eden’s whales, which are a neritic member of the Bryde’s whale complex, that live in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. It is likely that there are 50 or less in the population. Photo 4 in sequence of 7 photos illustrating beginning of Drawbridge technique.
    eden-whale-male-mesa-drawbridge-feed...tif
  • This is a male Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Mesa, demonstrating the Drawbridge technique for feeding on anchovies. The whale raises his head above water to approximately eye level, then drops his lower jaw rapidly as if lowering a drawbridge. He then maintains a stationary, mouth-open position for an extended period of time, sometimes up to 30 seconds, during which time anchovies jump into his mouth. When he collects sufficient fish, he closes his mouth and reenters the water. Mesa is part of an isolated population of Eden’s whales, which are a neritic member of the Bryde’s whale complex, that live in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. It is likely that there are 50 or less in the population. Photo 5 in sequence of 7 photos illustrating beginning of Drawbridge technique.
    eden-whale-male-mesa-drawbridge-feed...tif
  • This is a male Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Mesa, demonstrating the Drawbridge technique for feeding on anchovies. The whale raises his head above water to approximately eye level, then drops his lower jaw rapidly as if lowering a drawbridge. He then maintains a stationary, mouth-open position for an extended period of time, sometimes up to 30 seconds, during which time anchovies jump into his mouth. When he collects sufficient fish, he closes his mouth and reenters the water. Mesa is part of an isolated population of Eden’s whales, which are a neritic member of the Bryde’s whale complex, that live in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. It is likely that there are 50 or less in the population. Photo 3 in sequence of 7 photos illustrating beginning of Drawbridge technique.
    eden-whale-male-mesa-drawbridge-feed...tif
  • This is a male Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Mesa, demonstrating the Drawbridge technique for feeding on anchovies. The whale raises his head above water to approximately eye level, then drops his lower jaw rapidly as if lowering a drawbridge. He then maintains a stationary, mouth-open position for an extended period of time, sometimes up to 30 seconds, during which time anchovies jump into his mouth. When he collects sufficient fish, he closes his mouth and reenters the water. Mesa is part of an isolated population of Eden’s whales, which are a neritic member of the Bryde’s whale complex, that live in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. It is likely that there are 50 or less in the population. Photo 1 in sequence of 7 photos illustrating beginning of Drawbridge technique.
    eden-whale-male-mesa-drawbridge-feed...tif
  • This is the pectoral fin of a 12.8m female Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni brydei) that appeared to have been brought into port on the bow of a ship. Though the cause of death was not entirely clear, the ship was known to have traveled for four to five days from China to Thailand. The whale could have died from impact, as suggested by the broken pectoral fin shown here. The whale was covered with bite marks from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that it was probably not one of the Gulf of Thailand’s resident Eden’s whales.
    broken-pectoral-fin-dead-brydes-whal...tif
  • The carcass of this 12.8m female Bryde’s whale was covered with bites from cookie cutter sharks, indicating that the whale spent substantial time in areas with deep water, where cookie cutter sharks reside.
    dead-brydes-whale-cookie-cutter-shar...tif
  • A lone Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) holding its mouth open to feed on anchovies in the Gulf of Thailand, with birds swooping in to grab fish jumping out of the water.
    lone-eden-whale-mouth-open-feeding-2...tif
  • This is a Balaenoptera edeni whale in the Gulf of Thailand foraging for fish by side-lunging. Side-lunging started to become prevalent in 2017 and seems to have continued through 2018. The previous feeding behaviour of remaining stationary at the surface with open mouths has not been seen since 2016. As pictured here, terns of several species frequently gather to take advantage of the fish that foraging whales bring to the surface. This population is limited in size, several dozen individuals. It is quite likely that there is no mixing between this population and other B. edeni whales outside the Gulf of Thailand.
    edens-whale-foraging-gulf-thailand-w...tif
  • Male Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Maesa (which means April) engaging in a feeding technique suited for the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. After finding a suitable quantity of prey, the whale opens his mouth at the surface while stirring up the shallow water and sediment with his fluke. This causes small fish (anchovies in this case) to panic, with many inadvertently jumping into his mouth. Sometimes whiskered terns (Chlidonias hybrida) make use of this foraging behavior to grab an easy meal, as seen here. Maesa is part of an isolated population of Eden’s whales, which are a neritic member of the Bryde’s whale complex, that live in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. It is likely that there are 50 or less in the population.
    edens-whale-foraging-anchovies-gulf-...tif
  • Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) known as Som Tam exhibiting the skin disease that afflicts this population of whales in the Gulf of Thailand
    balaenoptera-edeni-skin-disease-thai...tif
  • GPS track showing the circular feeding pattern of an Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) revolving around an area in which the whale has found a concentration of anchovies.
    edens-whale-feeding-gps-track-gulf-t...tif
  • Common tern (Sterna hirundo) with fish that it has just caught, Hyporhamphus sp. (perhaps limbatus), being chased by a whiskered tern (Chlidonias hybrida)
    chlidonias-hybrida-chasing-sterna-hi...tif
  • Common tern (Sterna hirundo) with fish that it has just caught, Hyporhamphus sp. (perhaps limbatus)
    common-tern-sterna-hirundo-hyporhamp...tif
  • This small fish, likely a species of sardine, jumped aboard our boat when Eden’s whales were engaged in lunge feeding in the Gulf of Thailand. I believe it likely that the lunge feeding technique is suited to hunting this type of fish, perhaps due to density of aggregations and/ or behavioral characteristics. The whales appear to herd fish into ever greater concentrations before lunging through the aggregated fish. The same whales do not seem to do this with the anchovy species in the Gulf. This suggests that the whales apply different strategies for different prey.
    sardinella-prey-for-balaenoptera-ede...tif
  • Calm waters and beautiful cloud formations, looking for Bryde's whales in the Gulf of Thailand.
    gulf-of-thailand-beautiful-day-cloud...tif
  • This is an Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) in the Gulf of Thailand herding a mass of fish, likely a species of Sardinella. While swimming in a large circle to aggregate the fish, this whale slapped the surface several times as it moved along, perhaps to concentrate the fish. This tail-slapping behavior took place most often toward the end of the herding process, with a series of slaps often followed by a sudden turn toward the inside of the circle with mouth wide open in order to side-lunge through the panicked fish. This circle and side-lunge technique has become the dominant foraging technique since 2017, replacing the open-mouth trap feeding strategy that had been prevalent since the 1990s. I believe this reflects a change of target prey. The whales adapt their foraging strategies to target species.
    balaenoptera-edeni-foraging-strategy...tif
  • Adult female Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) feeding on anchovies with her calf. These whales are part of an isolated population of Eden’s whales, which are a neritic member of the Bryde’s whale complex, that live in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. It is likely that there are 50 or less in the population. This adult is known as Mae Gunya. Her calf is Jao Khamsamut.
    eden-brydes-whale-mother-and-calf-fe...tif
  • Adult female Eden’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) feeding on anchovies with her calf. These whales are part of an isolated population of Eden’s whales, which are a neritic member of the Bryde’s whale complex, that live in the shallow waters of the Gulf of Thailand. It is likely that there are 50 or less in the population. This adult is known as Mae Gunya. Her calf is Jao Khamsamut.
    eden-whale-brydes-feeding-anchovies-...tif
  • Pronounced dorsal fin of a Bryde’s whale (Balaenoptera edeni edeni) in the shallow waters of the upper Gulf of Thailand. This whale was one of three that were foraging on anchovies. This whale's name is Jao Taengthai.
    brydes-whale-dorsal-gulf-thailand-20...tif
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