| Fun Whale Facts |
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| Gray Whales |
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- Gray Whales are noted for their 12,000-mile annual migration from the Arctic Ocean to Mexico in the winter and their return north in the spring.
Whalers nicknamed the Grays "Devil Fish" because they fought so hard to defend their babies.
Today, they are best known for being friendly to people.
- In the 1600-1700s Gray Whales in the Atlantic were hunted to extinction.
They were hunted almost to extinction two different times in the Pacific Ocean.
Starting early in the 1900s, the birthing lagoons were protected by the Mexican government.
The United Nations joined in the protection (1935), as did the International Whaling Commission (1946), but the moratorium against whaling wasn't started until 1986.
The Grays made a good recovery and were taken off the endangered list in 1994, but are still threatened.
- Gray Whales along the Western Pacific (Russia & Japan) are almost extinct, and Japan is leading other nations to restart commercial whaling.
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The reason for the migration south is to give birth to their young in the warm, calm bays of Mexico.
Gray Whale babies are 15 feet long and weigh 2,000 at birth
The grow up to 45 feet long and weigh 70,000 pounds.
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They return north and spend the summer feeding in the Bering and Chukchi Seas (they seldom eat during migration).
About 200 Gray Whales don't continue to Alaska, but stay along the Oregon Coast to feed.
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Grays have baleen plates instead of teeth, with 130-180 plates or pieces along each side of the upper jaw.
They take great mouthfuls of food-laden water; then using their tongues, they squeeze out the water and swallow the food that sticks to the baleen.
T he Oregon coast produces lots of phytoplankton (small marine plants) which are eaten by zooplankton (small marine animals) including bottom dwelling amphipods and mysid shrimp - primary food of the Gray Whales.
- The only natural predators of Gray Whales are Orcas (killer whales) and large sharks.
Even though some countries are still whaling, the biggest threat to the whales is pollution in the oceans.
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| Calves |
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Breeding and giving birth are the reason for southern migration.
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Born without a blubber layer, babies need warmer waters.
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Moms bear calves about every 2-3 years.
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Gestation period averages 12 months (Sperm whale 17 months).
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Pregnancy is telescopic - babies double their size the last 2 months.
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Babies average 15 feet long at birth (Blue whale 26 feet).
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Baby whales are born tail first.
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Calves weigh about 2,000 pounds at birth (Blue whale 8,000 pounds).
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Babies must surface and catch their first breath within 15 seconds.
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Within 30 minutes, babies learn to swim.
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Babies nurse frequently on rich milk - 50-60 percent butterfat.
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Babies don't suck, the mother pumps milk into its mouth.
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Calves put on as much as 9 pounds an hour.
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Mothers lose 1/3 of their weight while nursing.
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| Behaviors |
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| Other Whales |
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