California Gray Whale

California Gray Whale Eschrichtius robustus

Since whaling was banned in 1946, the California Gray Whale population has rebounded from near extinction to a population that has been estimated to be as high as 27,000. Gray whales are a symbol of hope for the world's endangered species. Each February and early March, one can experience the whales and their newly-born calves surfacing just a few feet away from a motorized skiff, and if you're lucky, a curious whale will gently approach.

• The Gray Whale has the longest migration of any mammal, typically exceeding a 10,000 annual round trip between their summer Arctic feeding grounds and the lagoons of Baja California, Mexico. They travel very near shore during the migration.
• Gray Whales give birth exclusively in 3 Mexican lagoons (on the Baja California peninsula's west coast) during the winter months. Calves are 15 feet long at birth and weigh 1500 pounds. Calves nurse on milk that is 53% fat (human milk is 2% fat).
• Adults are 45 feet long and weigh 30 tons. The gray whale has no dorsal fin. It has a series of knuckles along the dorsal ridge that extend to the fluke (tail). Their mottled gray and white appearance is due to patches of barnacles and whale lice on its dark skin.
• The lifespan is typically 30 to 40 years but some have lived to the age of sixty.
• Gray Whales typically feed off the bottom of the Bering and Chukchi seas in the north each summer by scooping up the sediment and filtering it along with small crustaceans through its sieve-like baleen structure on the roof of its mouth. Baleen consists of the same material as your fingernails (keratin) and was the "whalebone" used in 19th century corsets.
• Once Gray Whales roamed both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Nineteenth century whaling destroyed the Atlantic and Korean Gray Whale population and twice nearly exterminated the California Gray Whales. Since International Convention for the Regulation of Whaling was signed in 1946, the Gray Whale population has returned to near its pre-whale hunting level.

Blue Whale
Balaenoptera musculus

The blue whale is an enormous animal, larger than any dinosaur that lived on the earth. We are humbled in their presence not only because of their great size, but because we know so little about them. To encounter a blue whale is the pinnacle of the whale-watching experience. It is simply the greatest of the great whales. From January through April look for spectacular sightings of blue whales in the warm, calm waters near Loreto on our Sea of Cortez Islands tours.

• The blue whale is the largest animal ever to live on earth. They can reach up to 100 feet (33 meters) in length and weigh more than 150 tons. A small child could crawl inside the artery of a blue whale, and its heart is the size of a Volkswagen Beetle. Their brain weighs 4,500 grams (10 lbs). 24 elephants equal 1 blue whale.
• The blow is tall and straight and over 25 feet (8 meters) high (the tallest blow of any whale).
• Like other rorquals, they have ventral pleats running from the tip of the lower jaw back to the belly, and a small (1 foot high) sickle-shaped dorsal fin on their back. The blue whale is blue-gray in color.
• The blue whale feeds almost exclusively on small, shrimp-like creatures called krill that swarm in huge clouds in the upper water column. During the summer feeding season the blue whale gorges itself, consuming an astounding 4 tons or more each day. As a baleen whale, it has a series of fringed overlapping plates hanging from each side of the upper jaw. Baleen consists of the same material as your fingernails (keratin) and was the "whalebone" used in 19th century corsets. During feeding, large volumes of water and food can be taken into the mouth because the pleated grooves in the throat expand. As the mouth closes water is expelled through the baleen plates, which trap the food on the inside near the tongue to be swallowed.
• Calves are 23 to 27 feet long at birth and 3 tons. During the nursing period of 7 - 8 months, calves consume 100 gallons of the fat-rich milk each day and gain 200 pounds per day.
• The blue whale makes deep and low-frequency sounds that travel long distances through water, allowing blue whales to communicate with each other over hundreds of miles of ocean. This is the most powerful sound produced in the animal kingdom.
• Blue whales remain on the surface of the water an average of 8 to 10 blows prior a dive which can be as long as 20 minutes. They usually cruise along at about 12 mph (19 km/hr), but can sustain speeds of 30 mph (48 km/hr) if frightened or chased. The blue whale lifts its tail fluke out of the water on its dives. Its broad and triangular flukes resemble the tail section of a 747.
• Blue whales migrate to high latitudes during the summer and to tropical-to-temperate waters during winter months to mate and give birth to calves. They can feed throughout their range.
• Up to 99% of blue whales were killed during whaling efforts in the first half of the 20th century. Presently, there are an estimated 3-4,000 blue whales in the Northern Hemisphere.

Fin Whale
Balaenoptera physalus

The fin, or finback whale is second only to the blue whale in size and weight. It is one of the rorquals, a family that includes whales with a dorsal fin and throat grooves that expand when the animal is feeding. Fin whales are among the fastest of the great whales, leading to its description as the "greyhound of the sea". From December through May you can see resident fin whales on our Sea of Cortez Islands tours.

• Fin whales, although smaller than the blue whale, can still reach a length of 80 feet and weigh 70 tons. It has darker skin and a larger dorsal fin than the blue whale.
• Unlike blue whales, fin whales do not fluke (lift their tail out of the water) when they dive. The fin whale's blow is tall and shaped like an inverted cone, and the dive sequence is 5-8 blows approximately 70 seconds apart before a long dive. They can dive to a depth of 1,800 feet (550 meters).
• Fin whales feed mainly on small, shrimp-like creatures called krill and schooling fish. They have been observed circling schools of fish at high speed, rolling the fish into compact balls then rolling on their side to engulf the fish. They can consume up to 2 tons of food a day. As a baleen whale, it has a series of fringed overlapping plates hanging from each side of the upper jaw, where teeth might otherwise be located. These plates consists of a fingernail-like material called keratin that frays out into fine hairs on the ends inside the mouth near the tongue. During feeding, large volumes of water and food can be taken into the mouth because the pleated grooves in the throat expand. As the mouth closes water is expelled through the baleen plates, which trap the food on the inside near the tongue to be swallowed.
• Fin whales migrate to subtropical waters for mating and calving during the winter months and, to the colder areas of the Arctic for feeding during the summer months. Like blue whales, they produce powerful sounds that can carry vast distances in the water.
• As blue whales became depleted in the first half of the 20th century, whalers turned to hunting fin whales until the whales were placed under full protection in 1966. Presently, there are an estimated 40,000 fin whales in the Northern Hemisphere.

Common Dolphin
Delphinus delphis

Dolphins are frequent companions on our kayak trips. They often travel in herds of over 100 individuals engaging in exuberant displays of aerial acrobatics. They are extremely active and fast moving. You can see dolphins anytime on our kayak tours in the Sea of Cortez and Magdalena Bay.

• Common dolphins can reach lengths of 8 feet (2.5 m) and weigh as much as 297 pounds (135 kg). They have dark-colored skin on the back and light gray flanks forming an hourglass pattern. The dorsal fin is triangular and slightly curved.
• Dolphins feed on squid and small schooling fish. They have been seen working together to herd fish into tight balls.
• The common dolphin is found in all tropical and warm-temperate waters, often near the coast. They are noted for riding bow and stern waves of fast moving boats and even large whales.
• In the past 20 years, hundreds of thousands of common dolphins have been taken incidentally in purse seine nets used during tuna fishing operations in the eastern tropical Pacific. Some common dolphins are taken in Japan and Peru for human consumption.