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CETACEANS (BALEEN
WHALES & PORPOISES)
Gray Whale
Humpback Whale
Minke Whale
Harbour Porpoise
Dalls Porpoise
Gray Whale (Eschrichtius
robustus):
Fact:
Gray Whales eat mostly Krill (small shrimp) and small
crustaceans and worms
This whale is also known as the California Gray Whale,
Devilfish, Mussel-Digger, Scrag Whale, but to scientists
it is known by the name Eschrichtius robustus. The gray
whales’ scientific name stems from an honour bestowed
upon a nineteenth-century Danish zoology professor Daniel
Eschrichtius who taught at the University of Copenhagen
and the Latin word for strong (robustus).
Gray whales belong to a group of whales known as the
Mysticeti or baleen whales. This means that they do
not have any teeth, but rather have a filtering apparatus
(the baleen), which hangs down from the top jaw in the
mouth.
Like other baleen whales, the females are typically
bigger than the males. Gray whales grow to a maximum
length of about 14m (45 ft) and weigh between 15 to
35 tons as adults. Newborns are estimated to weigh about
half a ton and be between 4.5 – 5 m (14-16 ft)
at birth!
Gray Whales were once known as the “Devilfish”
as they had a tendency to attack whaling boats that
were trying to harpoon them. Today the gray whale is
known as the “friendly whale” because they
have learned that that the boats are no longer trying
to kill them, but rather trying to watch them. In the
wintering grounds of Baja, Mexico the gray whales have
developed a new behaviour of coming right up to the
boats to have a look at the people. Sometimes the whale
watchers can even touch the whales. Gray whales have
become one of the friendliest whale species on the planet.
Gray whales are often a familiar species to many people
because of their coastal migration. Each spring, the
gray whale population swims along the west coast of
North America from Baja California, Mexico to the Bering,
Chukchi and western Beaufort Seas. They return to Mexico
each fall where they spend their winters. April through
November, the gray whales are found in their Arctic
feeding grounds, and as the days shorten and the ice
builds, they begin their southward journey to Mexico,
where they can be found from December to April. The
round trip journey is approximately 12,000 km (8,000miles)
and they swim an average of about 125 km (82 miles)
per day.
When you look at a gray whale, it is hard not to notice
to scars, scratches and barnacles on their skin. Gray
whales are covered in small barnacles and small crustaceans
known as whale lice. These parasites are found on no
other animal on earth – just the gray whales!
Gray whales have been known to rub on the rocky ocean
bottom or swim into brackish waters to try to remove
the parasites.
The light coloured scars result mostly from their feeding
habits. Gray whales forage on the ocean floor by sucking
in the mud and the creatures that live in the mud. Mucking
around in the sea bottom sediments often results in
cuts and abrasions that end up leaving scars. Interestingly,
gray whales tend to have more scars on the right side
of their face than the left. It seems most gray whales
are “right-handed”. These whales are not
confined to consuming bottom creatures such as worms
and clams, they will also eat the small shrimps, plankton
and herring roe that are found swimming or floating
in the water column.
Some gray whales choose to spend their summers near
Vancouver Island, rather than swimming all the way to
the Arctic. These have become known as “residents”.
Please take note, that this is different from the term
“resident” applied to some of our killer
whales. Resident gray whales spend a lot of time in
the inland waters of southern British Columbia and northwestern
Washington. In some years, they are regularly sighted
from Prince of Whales whale watching boats. In other
years, we see them less. It depends on where the food
is.
Good Gray Whale References:
Busch, Robert H. 1998. Gray Whales Wandering Giants.
Orca Book Publishers. Victoria. 137pp.
Ellis, Richard. 1985. The Book of Whales. Random House,
Inc. Toronto. 202pp.
Click here to proceed to the Wild
Whales website
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Humpback Whale:
Fact:
Patterns of pigmentation, scarring and shape of the
humpback flukes are unique to each individual.
Humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) are relatively
new additions to our whale watching trips. This species
migrates between high latitude summer feeding grounds
and low latitude winter breeding grounds. Like the gray
whales, they too migrate from the cold summer waters
to warmer more tropical regions for the winter.
In the North Pacific, the winter breeding grounds are
off Japan, Hawaii and Mexico, whereas the summer feeding
grounds are found in coastal waters of Alaska, British
Columbia and the western United States. Individual humpbacks
can be recognized by researchers through photo-identification
of the ventral (underside) surface of the tail flukes.
This helps in identifying individuals, estimating abundance
and tracking movements. The patterns of pigmentation,
scarring and shape of the flukes are unique to each
individual. Thousands of humpbacks have been identified
around the world.
Humpback whales are about as big as a gray whale. They
will grow to between 11 and 15 metres (37 - 49ft) and
weigh up to 30 tons. Humpbacks are smaller today than
they were 100 years ago. This is because the big ones
were preferentially killed by whalers in both the southern
and northern hemispheres.
Humpback whales are distinguished by the big “hump”
of the tail stock which is raised to the surface before
a deep or long dive. These whales can also be recognized
by their huge tail flukes, which are also raised above
the surface before a long dive, and their very long
pectoral flippers that are often seen while playing.
When this species breathes, the blow or spout can often
be seen for long distances, as it is very tall and often
nearly a white colour.
Humpbacks were not regular visitors to the Victoria
area until about five to 8 years ago. Now we regularly
sight these visitors on our Prince of Whales whale watching
trips especially in September and October.
Good Humpback Reference:
Ellis, Richard. 1985. The Book of Whales. Random House,
Inc. Toronto. 202pp.
Click here to proceed to the Canadian
Humpback Catalogue
Click here to proceed to the Wild
Whales website
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Minke Whale:
Fact:
Minke whales are the smallest baleen whale in the North
Pacific
Size - to a maximum length of 10
metres
Colour - black or dark gray on the back and
white on the belly and the undersides of the flippers -
often have a gray stripe or ‘chevron’ on
the side by the flipper
Dorsal Fin - tall relative to overall
size of animal - curved towards the back - usually
the fin becomes visible at the same time as the blow
Blow - low, bushy and usually inconspicuous
Of Note
- is the smallest baleen whale in the North
Pacific
- white ‘bands’ on the pectoral
flippers
Click here to proceed to the Wild
Whales website
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Harbour Porpoise:
Fact:
Harbour porpoises are the most shy of all the porpoises
Size - to a maximum length of 1.8 metres
Colour - dark brown to gray, lighter colour
on the belly
Dorsal Fin - triangular, same colour
as body
Of Note
- distinct line from mouth to top on
pectoral fin
- more of a solitary animal than the
dall’s
- does not bring body completely out
of the water
Can Be Confused With
- dall’s porpoise
Click here to proceed to the Wild
Whales website
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Dalls Porpoise:
Fact:
Dalls porpoise are the largest of the porpoise family
and are a maximum size of 2.2m (7.2ft) and can weigh
in at about 220kg (485lb).
The Dall's Porpoise is a common sight in the waters
off Vancouver Island and the Strait of Juan De Fuca,
Prince of Whale's common whale watching grounds. They
are the most playful of the porpoise family, and being
almost hyperactive they will zigzag and dart around
a fast moving boat. They have been known to approach
speeds of 55km/h (35mph). They are the largest of the
porpoise family and are a maximum size of 2.2m (7.2ft)
and can weigh in at about 220kg (485lb).
Click here to proceed to the Wild
Whales website
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