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Gray whale
NOT ON EXHIBIT
At the Aquarium
Natural History
California gray whales are the most commonly seen baleen whale in Monterey Bay. Calves are about 17 feet (5.2 m) long at birth and are 20 feet (6.1 m) long by the time they pass Monterey heading north with their mothers in the spring.
Newborn calves are dark, wrinkled and barnacle-free. In the warm calving lagoons in Baja California, a calf remains in close contact with its mother, often swimming onto her tail flukes. Before making the trip north, the baby grows and fattens on 50 gallons (189 l) of milk a day.
Conservation
Gray whales follow regular coastal migration routes, making them easy prey for whalers in years past. A population that once lived in the North Atlantic is now extinct, and the Korean population is nearly extinct. But, protected by law, the population of the west coast of America has made a comeback. It now numbers around 22,000 to 25,000 whales.
Cool Facts
When feeding on the bottom this whale lies on its side and sucks in sand or mud, leaving a large pit. This disturbance of the bottom in feeding areas determines the kinds of animals that live along the bottom.
They migrate 10,000 miles each year, from feeding grounds in the Bering Sea to calving lagoons in Baja California and back.
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Animal Facts
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ON EXHIBIT
- Scientific Name:
Eschrichtius robustus
- Habitat:
Open Waters
- Animal Type:
Marine Mammals
- Diet:
mostly bottom-dwelling crustaceans, also schooling fishes, shrimp and worms
- Size:
to 46 feet (14 m); 35 tons (31,752 kg)
- Range:
Alaska to Baja California; Japan to Korea
- Relatives:
other baleen whales; Order: Cetacea; Family: Eschrichtidae
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