Gray Whale - Eschrichtius robustus


Such a unique animal is the Gray whale that it is the only cetacean out of more than 80 species to occupy its very own genus, that being Eschrightiidae, with Eschrichtius robustus (Gray whale) being the only member. The Gray whale is a coastal hugging baleen whale that actually goes right to the bottom of relatively shallow areas digging and vacuuming up the sea floor in search of its favorite prey, crustaceans. Some older grays have noticeably worn down one side of their mouth from years of plunging into the sea floor. This is almost always evident on the favoured feeding right side.

Gray whales were hunted ruthlessly in the early days of whaling. When whaling was only shore based, Gray whales were destined to be decimated as they were always near to shore. Unlike any other baleen whale the Gray whales often retaliated. If one was harpooned, another would often attack the whalers, and this gave them the nickname "devilfish." They certainly smashed many small whaling vessels to pieces; however, this did not stop them from earning a very unique and a very sad distinction. They are the only whale species ever to be hunted to extinction in any one ocean, when in the early 19th century the last Gray whale died in some lonely stretch of the Atlantic Ocean. Their numbers became dangerously low in the eastern Pacific Ocean as well. However, with total protection they have rebounded to around 25,000.

The grays make a very long migration each year between the Arctic waters and the Pacific Baja California lagoons. There they mate, give birth to many calves and nurse these calves preparing them for the long and dangerous swim up to the rich summer feeding grounds in the Arctic. On their return south some Gray whales bypass the Baja lagoons swimming around the southern tip of the peninsula and up into the Sea of Cortez. Often and predictably these are juveniles interested in neither the mating nor the birthing that occurs within the lagoons. However, cow/calf pairs and single adults are observed as well in the Sea of Cortez, in varying numbers in different years.

Gray whales often lift their tails clear of the waters surface while diving and the tail's underside can be utilized for individual identification. The species is easily recognized by their V shaped spout, lack of dorsal fin, and barnacle covered body as well as by the ridges between their dorsal hump and tail (caudal peduncle). They commonly spyhop (lift their body straight up above the surface until their eye is exposed, then reenter the sea cleanly without a splash) and breach.Adult Gray whales reach 48 feet in length and can weigh up to 40 tons or 80,000 pounds.

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