Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)

Description: Gray whales are a species of baleen whale that migrates in the spring and the winter along the Oregon Coast. Adult gray whales can be up to 15 m (almost 50 ft) long and weigh about 41,000 kg (around 90,000 lbs)! Gray whale calves are usually 4.5 m (15 ft) long at birth and weigh about 900 kg (2,000 lbs) - that’s a big baby! These whales are mottled gray in color. They have paddle-shaped pectoral fins that are pointed at the tips. Their flukes (or tails) are S-shaped on along the left and right top edge with a deep notch in the middle. Calves are often born much darker gray and lighten over time.

Habitat: They’re most often seen in Cannon Beach during their spring and winter migrations, mid-March to mid-April and again during mid-December to mid-January. These whales are typically solitary, but during these migration periods one may see a mother-calf pair. Along the Pacific Coast of North America, gray whales are found in the Bering Sea during their summer (feeding) season and near Baja California, Mexico during their winter (breeding and calving) season. Gray whales are also found in other parts of the Pacific Ocean along the eastern coastline of Asia. 

Diet: Instead of teeth, gray whales have many plates of keratin (the same substance as human fingernails) in their mouth. These plates, known as baleen plates, look sort of like a mustache or a comb. Each plate has little bristles on it that catch plankton as gray whales draw in and push out seawater through their baleen-lined mouths to feed. 

Tide Pool Tidbits:

• Round-trip gray whale migrations total a distance of 1,500-2,000 km (about 930-1,240 mi)!

• Like other marine mammals, gray whales need to breathe air. Whales breathe through nostrils on top of their heads called blowholes. Gray whales have paired blowholes, so when they blow water into the air it is usually a heart- or V-shaped spray.

• Gray whale mothers give birth every 2-3 years, and their calves must surface and breathe within their first 15 seconds of life.

References: The Whale’s Tail, NOAA Fisheries