About This Species

Medium-sized coastal whale reaching up to 15.2m (50ft) and 41 tons, distinguished by mottled gray coloration covered in barnacles and parasites, dorsal hump instead of dorsal fin, and bottom-feeding behavior in shallow waters. Undertakes one of the longest mammalian migrations up to 12,000 miles round trip between Arctic feeding and Baja California breeding lagoons. Eastern Pacific population recovered, but Western Pacific population critically endangered.