Fascinating Facts About The Gray Whale

The northern phase of the migration of the gray whale began in mid-February and will continue well into April. The whales leave their winter calving lagoons on the west coast of Baja California, Mexico, heading for the Bering Sea in the far north. The northbound migration begins with immature animals (some of which may not have gone all the way to Mexico), adult males, and females without calves. These mammals pass along the California coast from mid-February into April. Breeding is sometimes observed at this time. Mothers and calves are the last to leave the southern calving lagoons.

The calves usually are rambunctious but stay close to their mothers as they become more coordinated and develop an insulating blubber layer. Calves are at least a month old before they migrate north with their mothers. Mothers and calves travel more slowly, often moving into shallow inlets, allowing their calves to rest. During the spring migration, if the weather is fair, one may see the whales within a few hundred yards of our coastal headlands.

The full round-trip migration from Baja, Mexico to the Bering Sea and back is 10,000 miles, the longest known for any mammal. Other whales also are known to migrate between summer high latitude feeding grounds and more temperate low latitude breeding and calving areas. However, researchers know more about the gray whale because it moves so close to shore. This near-shore movement has led to speculation that gray whales navigate by staying in shallow water or keeping the surf noises to one side or the other, depending upon their direction of travel.

Gray whales are benthic feeders. This means they search for food at the bottom of the ocean. They eat tiny shrimp-like animals like amphipods and other bottom-dwelling animals. Gray whales are baleen whales. Baleen whales do not have teeth but instead have plates of baleen that hang from the upper jaw and filter food from the water.

Female gray whales reach lengths up to 45 feet and weigh as much as 70,000 lbs. Male are slightly smaller. At birth calves are approximately 15 feet long.

Deaths:

The number of dead gray whales found on West Coast beaches from January to July 1999 compared with all of 1998.