Gray Whale(Eschrichtius robustus)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sempivirens/5652612776/sizes/l/in/photostream/

Size

Adults

•Up to 50 ft. in length

• Over 8,000 pounds!

Calves

•15 ft. at birth

• Up to 1500 lbs.

Size comparison of gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) and average human - image by Chris huh on Wikipedia (edited) -GNU Free Documentation license, Version 1.2 or later

Feeding• How do they eat? Gulp Excavate

Gray whales feed on small crustaceans such as amphipods and worms in bottom sediments. The whale dives to the bottom, rolls on its side and sucks bottom sediments and water into its mouth. As it closes its mouth, water and sediment are pushed out through the short baleen plates, which trap the food on the inside. The whale sweeps up the food with its tongue and swallows it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jkirkhart35/470878779/sizes/z/in/photostream/

Fun Facts – Gray Whales:

• have lice – tiny crustaceans--these lice feed on the gray whale’s skin

• can have over 400 lbs. of barnacles on their bodies

• eat almost 700 pounds of food per day!• travel up over 12,000 miles every year

– lifetime mileage farther than a roundtrip to the moon

Migration

Baja California to Alaska

Why would they migrate?

• There is more food available in cold waters off Alaska in Summer

• Waters in Alaska are too cold and rough to give birth in Winter, move to Baja California

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/programs/sea/coast/images/whale_mig3.gif