A whale was seen foraging in Dapeng Bay, Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province this week.

It was first seen by fishermen on Tuesday, who recorded a video and went viral on the Internet. Later, Professor Chen Bingyao, an expert in cetacean studies from Nanjing Normal University, came here and confirmed it was a Bryde's whale.

"We have used drone footage and model calculation to measure the length of the whale. It measures between 7.5 and 8.2 meters, which implies it is a sub-adult." said Chen.

It is the second time that Bryde's whales have been spotted in China's coastal waters in recent times. Previously, they were seen in Weizhou Island, Beihai City, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

According to Professor Chen, the Bryde's whale found in Dapeng Bay is a bit different from the whale in Weizhou Island. The depth of the water that it forages in Dapeng is rather shallow, less than 10 meters as his team measured yesterday. In comparison, the water depth of Weizhou Island is 10 to 40 meters. It's typical of the Bryde's whale to swim in the coastal area and shallow water.

Chen said it was hard to tell the reasons behind its appearance in Shenzhen and whether it was an individual behavior or group behavior. However, he thought there was a slim chance that the Bryde's whale in Dapeng migrated from Weizhou Island. He have compared this whale with individuals they identified in Weizhou Island and found this whale didn't appear there. 

Now the Dapeng Bay is under a fishing moratorium. The Bryde's whale is often seen having a hearty meal with plenty of small fish jumping into its mouth. Bridled terns also fly around the whale so they can get a free meal. 

The Bryde's whale is under first-class state protection in China. In 2021, there are over 50 of them living in Weizhou Island according to Professor Chen's latest research.

For more: 

A Bryde's whale shows up in S China's Shenzhen

Our Coast: Chasing Chinese white dolphins

(Cover image and video provided by Chen Bingyao's research team. Video edited by CGTN's Zhao Ying.)

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