Dive into the Magical World of Gray Whales

During the 17th and 20th century, the whaling industry had depleted the gray whale population causing this magical animal to become nearly extinct. Thankfully, today their numbers have increased to an estimate of 20,000. They live  in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean, the Western Pacific Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean. The United States removed the gray whale from the endangered list in 1994, but is still protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The gray whale plays an important role in the overall health of the marine environment and it would be devastating to see these magical animals disappear.

Here are some interesting facts about the gray whale:

1. The scientific name for the gray whale is Eschrichitius robustus. The name is derived from Eschricht, which was the last name of a Danish zoology professor, and robustus which is the Latin world for strong.  The gray whale's common name is due to their appearance. They are dark gray with lighter gray patches and white spots. These white spots are barnacles and whale lice giving them the appearance of a crusty ocean rock. They can grow to be 48 feet long and weigh 80, 000 pounds. They live up to 50 to 70 years! 
2. Pacific gray whales are known as the "friendly whales" since they are known to approach boats at their winter calving grounds in Baja California Sur, Mexico. 
3. The gray whale has one of the longest migrations of any mammal. It travels 10,000 miles round trip every year from their Arctic feeding ground (where they search for mollusks, tube worms and small crustaceans) to their birthing lagoons in Baja, Mexico.
4. The International Whaling Commission partial protection to the gray whale in 1937 and full protection in 1947. The Eastern North Pacific Gray whales were protected by the Endangered Species Act until 1994, but are still protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Western North Pacific Gray whale population is listed under the Endangered Species Act as endangered, but the Eastern North Pacific population has been increasing steadily.  

Even with the help of acts like the Marine Mammal Protection Act, the gray whale does face threats. Some of these threats include habitat degradation, collisions with ships, entanglement in fishing gear, chemical pollution, oil and gas development. Let's look at some of these threats in detail and how they harm the gray whale.

One of the top most concerns is the pollution caused by oil and gas development. According to spokesperson Leigh Henry of the World Wildlife Fund, oil companies have overlapped their gas leases with the gray whales feeding grounds. When looking for oil, sonic booms are used creating a deafening noise which can disorient the gray whale who uses deep sounds to do just about everything. Gray whales use deep sounds to navigate through the oceans, locate food, find mates. Not only does this noise affect their day to day activities but it can cause the calf to separate from its mother! Oil companies also bring the risk of oil spills and some companies are not prepared to handle these incidents. A great example of this concern was the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico a few years ago. Oils spills have caused the gray whale to change its migration pattern and foraging for food habits which has caused them to come in closer contact with fishing boats. Gray whales have been found with injuries from the propellers of these boats. 

Would you like to meet the gray whale up close and personal? Check out the fascinating opportunities like the Baja Whale and Turtle Research tour or the Whalesof Southern California volunteer expedition. 

What to learn more? Take a look at the many wonderful adventures available with SEEtheWILD.