Details
Eschrichtius robustus
Gray whale is a North Pacific baleen whale that migrates long distances and feeds by disturbing the seafloor. Eastern populations recovered, but western animals, coastal development, and ship strikes remain concerns.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It migrates between North Pacific coasts, Arctic feeding grounds, and warmer breeding lagoons. Main habitat types in this guide are ocean, coast.
Typical length 1200-1500 cm, weight 15 t-35 t. Mottled gray skin, no true dorsal fin, a row of knuckles, and patches of whale lice or barnacles are typical.
It is active in repeated bouts across day and night and often found in loose groups. It travels near coasts and often rolls sideways to suck sediment and prey from shallow bottoms.
It is a filter feeder. Amphipods and other small bottom crustaceans are filtered from sediment with baleen.
Females calve in warm shallow lagoons, and calves migrate with their mothers.
Although still widespread in places, it remains sensitive to habitat change. Eastern populations recovered, but western animals, coastal development, and ship strikes remain concerns.
