#eschrichtiidae

[boiga]

A grey whale (Eschrichtius robustus) spyhopping off the coast of Baja, Mexico

by Tim Melling

[dendroica]

Beached Gray Whale calf (via USFWS - Pacific Region)

Photo credit: Peter Pearsall/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

[katborg82]

The Gray Whale (Eschrichtius Robustus) is the last surviving member of the family Eschrichtiidae. These whales can measure up to 49 feet and can weigh up to 41 tons. During the summer, Gray Whales can be found in their feeding grounds near the Arctic in the northern Pacific Ocean. During the fall, these whales will migrate to the southwestern coasts of North America, mainly California and Mexico, and breed during the winter, before journeying back in the spring. Gray Whales are named for the gray and white patches on their dark skin. During the whaling days, these animals had earned the name "devil fish" due to their aggression when hunted.