The gray (or grey) whale (Eschrichtius robustus) is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. The common name of the whale comes from the gray patches and white mottling on its dark skin. Gray whales were once called devil fish because of their fighting behavior when hunted[citation needed]. The gray whale is the sole species in the genus Eschrichtius, which in turn is the sole genus in the family Eschrichtiidae. This mammal descended from filter-feeding whales that developed at the beginning of the Oligocene, over 30 million years ago.
Ten Facts about Gray Whale
- The gray whale is a dark slate-gray in color and covered by characteristic gray-white patterns, scars left by parasites which drop off in the cold feeding grounds.
- Gray whales measure from 16 feet (4.9 m) long for newborns to 45 feet (14 m) long for adult females. A mature gray whale can reach 40 tonnes.
- The gray whale has two blowholes, and between 9 and 14 dorsal nodules on its back, instead of a back fin. A gray whale spout or blow can reach up to 15 feet, and resembles a heart shape from the front or behind.
- The whale feeds mainly on benthic crustaceans which it eats by turning on its side and scooping up sediments from the sea floor.
- The warm temperature, shallow depth, and limited access to the open sea, make the Mexican lagoons the ideal places for these marine mammals to mate and to give birth.
- Breeding behavior is complex and often involves three or more animals.
- Gestation requires about one year, and females reproduce biannually.
- The calf is born tail first and measures about 4 meters (13 ft) in length. It is believed that the shallow lagoon waters protect the newborn from sharks and orcas.
- They generally founds in Pacific coastline from Canada to Mexico. Commonly seen along the California coast. Atlantic population was hunted to extinction.
- There Life span is approximately 40 years.
