Animals /
Mammals Living

Atlantic Gray Whale

Eschrichtius robustus

The gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), also known as the grey whale, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of 14.9–15.

Overview

The gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), also known as the grey whale, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of 14.9–15.2 m (49–50 ft), a weight of up to 41 to 45 tonnes (45 to 50 short tons; 40 to 44 long tons) and lives between 55 and 70 years, although one female was estimated to be 75–80 years of age. One of the longest-living gray whales currently is a female, first sighted in 1977, and estimated to be 53–55 years old as of 2024. The common name of the whale comes from the gray patches and white mottling on its dark skin. Gray whales were once called "devil fish" because of their fighting behavior when hunted, with mothers accompanied by their calves fighting viciously to protect their young if they are attacked. The gray whale is the sole living species in the genus Eschrichtius. It is the sole living genus in the family Eschrichtiidae; however, some recent studies classify it as a member of the family Balaenopteridae. This mammal is descended from filter-feeding whales that appeared during the Neogene.
The gray whale is distributed in a Northeast Pacific (North American), and an endangered Northwest Pacific (Asian), population...

Habitat & distribution

Habitats

Marine

Video

This video is an excerpt from "The California Gray Whale" produced by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. It features the biology and history of the gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), one of nature's largest creatures and great spectacles. Includes documentation of the longest known migration of any mammal. (The original audio has been replaced.)Credit: National Park Service · Public domainSource ↗

Sounds

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References

  1. GBIF Auto Sync GBIF
  2. WoRMS / Aphia World Register of Marine Species
  3. Wikipedia — Gray whale Wikipedia

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