The gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), also known as the grey whale, gray back whale, Pacific gray whale, or California gray whale[10] is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of 14.9 meters (49 ft), a weight of 36 tonnes (40 short tons), and lives between 55 and 70 years.
Similar species: Even-toed Ungulates
By Thibaud Aronson
All rights reserved
Uploaded Jul 31, 2016. Captured Mar 5, 2015 13:18 in Unnamed Road, Baja California Sur, Mexico.
comments (4)
"Spyhopping is controlled and slow, and can last for minutes at a time if the whale is sufficiently inquisitive about whatever it is viewing. Generally, the whale does not appear to swim by fluke propulsion to maintain its "elevated" position while spyhopping, instead relying on exceptional buoyancy control and positioning with pectoral fins. Typically the whale's eyes will be slightly above or below the surface of the water, enabling it to see whatever is nearby on the surface" Posted 9 years ago
"I spy with my little eye....a gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) that's spyhopping! Whales sometimes like to take a look around— above the surface of the water. This behavior is called spyhopping. It happens when a whale rises vertically in the water column and thrusts its head out of the water so that its eyes are either right above or just below the surface. Spyhopping is a slow and controlled behavior that relies on the whale's incredible buoyancy as opposed to active swimming. It can last for several minutes, or until the whale's curiosity is satisfied. Gray whales often choose to spyhop near tourist boats, which indicates that the whales may be just as curious about us as we are about them! {Spotted in Mexico by JungleDragon moderator, Thibaud Aronson} #JungleDragon" Posted 6 years ago