The California gray whale is a beloved icon, drawing crowds to the beaches for a close-up look at these migrating denizens. Their journey is one of the longest made by any mammal, covering over 12,000 miles round-trip, from rich feeding waters in the Alaskan Arctic to the placid lagoons of Baja California Sur, where they gather each winter to mate and give birth. In early spring, the northward journey begins anew, mothers and their calves hugging the coast for protection. Read more:
Safe Passage: NOAA Scientists and Gray Whales are Forging New Paths
Photo credit: NOAA, NMFS, SWFSC
|
Gray whale migration brings new scientific discovery
Current count of this year's gray whale calf production survey (updated daily)
Tracking Gray Whales