Distribution and

Migration
outline
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What? = Grey whale has the longest migration.

When it migrates? What months? What period? How long?

Where does it migrate from? Where does it migrate to? Route?

Why it migrates?

What animal has the longest migration route?

Grey Whales have the longest migrations of any mammal on earth. They migrate between
nursery lagoons in Mexico to feeding grounds in the Arctic about 10,000-12,000 miles round trip
every year.
Gray whales (or Eschrichtius robustus) are often covered with parasites and other organisms
that make their snouts and backs look like a crusty ocean rock.

The changing seasons drive the endless travels.

Traveling night and day, the gray whale averages approximately 120 km (75 mi) per day at an
average speed of 8 km/h.

When it migrates? What months? What period? How long?

Where does it migrate from? Where does it migrate to? Route?

Almost all of the gray whales spend the summer months (June, July, and August) in the Bering
Sea area between Alaska and Russia. A few even venture north into the Arctic Ocean. In the fall
the majority of the population migrates south, along the west coast of Canada and the United
States, ending up in the quiet lagoons of Baja California during the winter months (January,
February, and March). In the spring the population returns to the Bering Sea area. This 12,000
mile roundtrip may be the longest migration of any mammal on Earth. (Recently there are a few
gray whales that have been found to miss the full migration.)
By late December to early January, eastern grays begin to arrive in the calving lagoons and
bays on the west coast of Baja California Sur.
These first whales to arrive are usually pregnant mothers looking for the protection of the
lagoons to bear their calves, along with single females seeking mates.
By mid-February to mid-March, the bulk of the population has arrived in the lagoons, filling
them with nursing, calving and mating gray whales.
Throughout February and March, the first to leave the lagoons are males and females without
new calves. Pregnant females and nursing mothers with their newborns are the last to depart,
leaving only when their calves are ready for the journey, which is usually from late March to
mid-April. Often, a few mothers linger with their young calves well into May.
By late March or early April, the returning animals can be seen from Everett, Washington, to
Puget Sound to Canada.

For summary,
= late December to early
January begin to arrive the
calving lagoons and bays of
Baja California Sur.
= mid-February to
mid-March filling them with
nursing / calving and mating
gray whales.
= Throughout February and
March leave the lagoons
= late March to mid-April

leaving only when their calves

are ready for the journey
= late March or early April
return
= They migrate between
nursery lagoons in Mexico to
feeding grounds in the Arctic
- soooooo,.....Why it
migrates?
The pregnant females are often
the first whales to arrive at the

mating grounds as it is
extremely important for them to
find protection for their soon to
be newborn children from
potential predators such as the
killer whale and sharks, which
may be interested in hunting
their defenseless children.
Non pregnant but fertile females
may also be found arriving
early to look for an eager
mating partner.

For summary,
= These first whales to arrive
are usually pregnant mothers
looking for the protection of the
lagoons to bear their calves
= Single females seek mates
IS MIGRATION
IMPORTANT FOR GRAY
WHALES?

Migration is extremely
important for the gray whale.
Migration allows these marine
mammals to move to places
where they can find abundant
sources of food.
It also allows them to gather
together so that they can meet
up and mate with one another or
reproduce their offspring in a
safe and warm environment

which is important for their

newborn children.
Lastly, migration may be
considered a form of social
gathering as some pods may
travel together and protect one
another as they head to the same
destination.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE
GRAY WHALE DOESNT
MIGRATE?

If a gray whale did does not

migrate it may end up isolating
itself from other gray whales
that travel and migrate together
causing the whale to be very
lonely and isolated for several
months.
It may also make it difficult for
the whale to find a sufficient
food source or mating partner if
the gray whale decided not to
migrate.

Even if an entire group made a

decision to stay in their feeding
grounds all year long they may
lower their newborns survival
rate as the child may have a
more difficult time dealing with
the cold and other threats that
may be around them in the
colder waters.
On the other end if these marine
mammals chose to stay in their
mating grounds all year long

they may find it more difficult

to find sufficient sources of the
food they are used to eating in
their feeding grounds.
Mating and breeding
Gray whales reach sexual
maturity at 5-11 years of age, or
when they reach 11-12 m in
length. Gestation is 12-13
months. The calf weighs is
500-680 kg and is about 15 feet

at birth. Calves nurse 7-8

months on milk that is 53% fat.
Females bear a single calf, at
intervals of 2 or more years.
Courtship and mating behavior
are complex, and frequently
involve 3 or more whales of
mixed sexes.
Mating and calving both occur
primarily in the lagoons of Baja
California, Mexico, although
both have been observed during
the migration.

Foraging
They forage by using their
snout to make the living
creature move from the seafloor
and eat them by using the
baleen(whale bone).
Food
-

Amphipod(shrimp like animal)

Cumaceans

Isopods

- mysids

- Plankton(microscopic animal that floating on the ocean)

https://youtu.be/A86ztlPppP8
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