Sei whales are one of the baleen whales that visit the Azores during the Spring. Despite seeming to follow the same pattern as the other whales here, the migration routes of Sei whales are not very well known.

With 12 to 21 meters and 15,2 to 30 tons, Sei whales are physically similar to Bryde’s whales and often hard to distinguish at sea. Therefore, the migration patterns of the two species have been confused. However, Sei whales seem to have less extensive migrations than other rorquals, spending the summer in subartic and subantartic areas and the winter in subtropical waters.

Sei whale / Baleanoptera borealis

 

Sei whale are one of the fast swimmers being able to reach 55 km per hour! They are possible the fastest whales.

Because they tend to swim close to the surface, we can often track Sei whales from the footprints they leave on the surface.

Sei whale / Sardinheira

 

Did you know that Sei whales get their name for the Norwegian word “seje”? It means pollack and the whales got this name because they are often found in Norway at the same time as the fish 🙂

Catarina Fonseca

About Catarina Fonseca

Catarina is Marine Biologist and was Main Guide and Technical & Scientific Director at TERRA AZUL from 2014 to 2017. She is dedicated, knowledgeable and a passionate friend to animals and humans. We hope she can come back soon to wildlife experiences with us. , and everyday works on ensuring the highest educational and conservation standards during spractice. She also contributes collecting Data collection for MONICET – The Azores Islands Cetaceans Research & Conservation long-term monitoring project.

Your thoughts on this?