Which baleen whale is named after Norwegian whaler Johan Bryde?

The baleen whale named after Norwegian whaler Johan Bryde is Bryde’s whale.

Bryde’s whale refers to a rorqual in the genus Balaenoptera, especially the form commonly identified as Balaenoptera brydei. Its name honors Johan Bryde, a Norwegian businessman, ship owner, and whaling entrepreneur who helped establish a modern whaling station in South Africa. The name was applied by Norwegian zoologist Ørjan Olsen in 1913.

Bryde’s whales inhabit warm temperate and tropical waters worldwide. Like other rorquals, they have baleen plates instead of functional teeth and expandable throat grooves that allow them to engulf large volumes of water while feeding. They often eat schooling fish, krill, and other small prey, and can be distinguished from similar whales by features such as three ridges on the head.

The taxonomy is more complicated than the quiz answer suggests. Scientists continue to debate the boundaries among common Bryde’s whale, Eden’s whale, and related forms. Omura’s whale and Rice’s whale were once confused with Bryde’s whales but are now treated as distinct species. Even so, “Bryde’s whale” is the canonical answer to the naming question.