Table of Contents
What is the migration route for GREY whales?
In the fall, eastern North Pacific gray whales migrate from their summer feeding grounds, heading south along the coast of North America to spend the winter in their wintering and calving areas off the coast of Baja California, Mexico.
What type of behavior is migration in gray whales?
Migrating gray whales move steadily in one direction, breathing and diving in predictable patterns and generally swim at speeds between 1.1 and 2.8 m/s [1, 3, 17–21].
How long does GREY whale migration take?
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.
Do gray whales have the longest migration?
The western gray whale now holds the record as the mammal with the longest known migration, researchers say. A female western gray whale swam from Russia to Mexico and back again — a total of 13,988 miles (22,511 kilometers) — in 172 days, according to a new report.
What months do GREY whales migrate?
February – late April | Northward Whale Migration Gray whales leave Baja’s lagoons to migrate back north starting at the beginning of February and continuing through April.
Are GREY whales migrating?
Gray whales have the longest known migration of any mammal. 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. Click on this map to follow the whale trail!
How deep do GREY whales dive?
about 500 feet
Gray whales are usually found in shallow waters, along the continental shelf, so they do not have to dive much deeper than 150 meters (about 500 feet).
What is the oldest GREY whale?
The nine-year-old whale, named Varvara, swam from Sakhalin island, Russia, to Cabo San Lucas, Baja California, and back beginning in November 2011. She logged 14,000 miles (22,511 kilometers) during her 172-day trip, researchers report online April 14 in the journal Biology Letters.
Are GREY whales gentle?
They will Do Anything to Protect Their Young but are Gentle Giants at Heart. With their rough, barnacle-covered hide, gray whales appear to have a tough exterior.
Which whale is the friendliest?
grey whales
Possibly the world’s friendliest whale, grey whales are found along the coast of North America where they make the 12,400 round trip between Alaska and Mexico each year.
Where do gray whales go on their migration?
Each year around October the gray whales in and around the eastern pacific Alaskan waters begin their migration trip from their feeding grounds to their mating grounds around the Baja peninsula of Mexico and the southern Gulf of California. As the Alaskan waters begin to freeze over and their food supply migrates…
Why are so many gray whales dying at sea?
All along their migration route, whales were stranding in record numbers. In 2019, 214 gray whales were found dead, including 122 in the United States—four times the nation’s annual average over the previous 18 years. Scientists believe that for each whale found on land, another five die at sea.
How does change in prey distribution affect gray whales?
Any resulting changes in prey distribution could lead to changes in foraging behavior, nutritional stress, and diminished reproduction for gray whales. Additionally, changing water temperature and currents could impact the timing of environmental cues important for navigation and migration.
Is the gray whale listed as an endangered species?
Like all marine mammals, gray whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The western North Pacific stock or Distinct Population Segment (DPS) is listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act and depleted under the MMPA.