California Grey Whale / Pacific Gray Whale

The Gray whale has the longest migration route of any mammal.  They travel about 11,000 miles every year from their summer feeding areas in the Bergin Sea to the area around Southern Baja California where they usually go to have the babies.  Their babies are called calves. This is pretty amazing since they only swim 5 to 10 miles per hour. Grey whales roll on their sides to dig up crustaceans.  This leaves large pits or ditches in the muddy sea bottom.  Read more about how the Grey whale filters food out of the mud the suck up. The Grey whales spend the winters in the protected lagoons in Southern Baja.  There in those warm waters they mate and give birth to their calves.

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It is wonderful that these lagoons are now protected.  These whales swim very slowly making them easy targets for the whale hunters.  These protected lagoons do not allow any hunting there so the whales become used to the safety of these Southern California lagoons.  It also means that the Whale watching industry thrives there.  I took this  snap shot while enjoying a relaxing and comfortable ride on the Hornblower whale watching yacht.  It was a beautiful experience that I highly recommend.  Seeing the great animals up close and in a way that is safe for them and safe for people is an experience that all should get to enjoy.

At one time in the early 1900s the Grey whales were hunted almost to complete extinction. They have been protected by international law since 1936. Thanks to that these wonderful slow swimming Gray whales have made a very strong comeback.