China - January 15, 2025 Storyline: Bryde's whales draw scientists, tourists to China's Weizhou Island [Voice_over] Bryde's whales in waters off Weizhou Island in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region are attracting tourists and researchers who’ve come to watch the protected whale species forage for winter food. The whales, named after a 19th century Norwegian whaler, do not have teeth, but baleen plates that filter out prey, usually small schooling fish. When Bryde's whales hunt, they emerge vertically from the water, opening their massive lower jaw at a near right angle, allowing time for unsuspecting fish to swim into their mouths. In these waters, Bryde's whales' active period usually lasts from December to April. [Sound_bite] Chen Mo, Associate researcher, Guangxi Academy of Sciences: "We usually start our surveys in autumn, normally after the Mid-Autumn Festival, and continue until the end of April or even early May of the following year. The waters off Weizhou Island are the only known feeding grounds of Bryde's whales in China, where we can consistently watch them foraging and nurturing the young.” [Voice_over] According to data from the Guangxi Academy of Sciences, the number of identifiable Bryde's whales in the area has risen from six individuals in 2018 to over 60 in 2024. [Restrictions : No access Chinese mainland]