In October, the whales begin to leave their feeding grounds in the Bering and Chukchi Seas and head south for their mating and calving lagoons in Baja California, Mexico. As a baleen whale, it has a series of 130-180 fringed overlapping plates hanging from each side of the upper jaw, where teeth might otherwise be located. One of these places is Depoe Bay; these whales are called,© 2020 Whales Tail Charters. Nursing mothers with their newborns are the last to depart. 2014. Newborn calves are dark gray to black, although some may have distinctive white markings.The gray whale has no dorsal (top) fin. The plates are off-white and about 2-10 inches (5-25 cm) in length.

On this northbound migration, small numbers of gray whales fall out of the migration and stop at various locations along the Oregon coast. About 2/3 of the way back on its body is a prominent dorsal hump followed by a series of 6-12 knuckles along the dorsal ridge that extend to the flukes (tail lobes). Pp. All rights reserved.Each October as the northern ice pushes southward small groups of gray whales start a two to three month 5,000 – 6,800 mile trip south. These plates consist of a fingernail-like material called keratin that frays out into fine hairs on the ends inside the mouth next to the tongue. To feed, a whale dives to the bottom, rolls on its side and draws bottom sediments and water into its mouth. 1984.

Its fluke is about 10-12 feet (3.7 m) across, pointed at the tips, and deeply notched in the center.Adult males measure 45-46 feet (13.7-14 m) and adult females measure slightly more. Hunted to the edge of extinction in the 1850's after the discovery of the calving lagoons, and again in the early 1900's with the introduction of floating factories, the gray whale was given partial protection in 1937 and full protection in 1947 by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Pitman. They feed primarily during the summer months of long daylight hours in the cold Arctic waters of the Bering and Chukchi seas. Webber, R.L. 2002. Courtship and mating behavior are complex, and frequently involve 3 or more whales of mixed sexes. Mating and calving both occur primarily in the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico, although both have been observed during the migration.Gray whales inhabit shallow coastal waters of the eastern North Pacific. Gray Whale Migration Gray whale feeding off Cape Foulweather Each October as the northern ice pushes southward small groups of gray whales start a two to three month 5,000 – 6,800 mile trip south. 1914. A group of 200-400 whales feed along the Oregon coast during fall and summer.From March through June most of gray whales make the journey from their breeding lagoons in Baja California to the Arctic feeding grounds. They travel 10,000-12,000 miles round trip every year between their winter calving lagoons in the warm waters of Mexico and their summer feeding grounds in the cold Arctic seas.

Academic Press, San Diego. The whales remain in the lagoons for 2-3 months, allowing the calves to build up a thick layer of blubber to sustain them during the northward migration and keep them warm in the colder waters. Swartz. The rostrum (upper jaw) is dimpled and each of the little depressions contains one stiff hair. A gray whale can stay submerged up to 15 minutes, and travel at 3-6 miles per hour (4.8-9.6 km/hr). E. robustus: The Biology and Human History of Gray Whales. As it closes its mouth, water and sediments are expelled through the baleen plates, which trap the food on the inside near the tongue to be swallowed.Gray whales reach sexual maturity at 5-11 years of age, or when they reach 36-39 feet (11-12 m) in length. This round trip of 10,000 –13,600 miles is believed to be the longest annual migration of any mammal. The upper jaw is arched in profile, and slightly overlaps the lower jaw. The only member of the family Eschrichtiidae, the gray whale is a mysticete, or baleen whale. The calf weighs 1,100-1,500 pounds (500-680 kg) and is about 15 feet (4.5 m) at birth. Whale Cove Marine Education. Gray whales were once called d… Thewissen (eds).

Gray whales have a streamlined body, with a narrow, tapered head.

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