All About Gray Whales

The Gray Whale is part of the Baleen whale family.

Gray whales feed on krill. They have baleen suspended from the jaw, which is like cartilage, the baleen acts as a filter straining krill and other small animals inside.

Gray whales make one of the longest migrations a round trip of 12,000 miles, their breeding grounds off the coast Mexico up to the Arctic Ocean. They follow the coast. The males lead the migration, the last to make the journey are the cows with their newborn calves. The cows and calves will often stay within 200 meters of the coastal shore.

Killer Whales will attack the young gray whale calves. The killer whale is about ½ the size of the Gray Whale cow but the calf is easy prey. The Killer Whales will often work together as a pod trying to drown a gray whale calf, a single hunt will often take hours.

Gray whales carry their calves for 13 months.

About the Author
Jacob Maddox manages content for Wildlife Animals http://www.wildlife-animals.com an educational wildlife and animal website. Jacob also guest writes for Dog Pound http://www.dog-pound.net