Whale-Watching on the Pacific Coast

Along the West Coast, three species of great whales and a variety of smaller cetaceans can often be observed from land and from whale-watching vessels at varying times of the year. The first four species listed here are those nearly all whale-watchers set out to see. Gray Whales More than 22,000 gray whales partake in one of the longest migrations of any mammal on earth. Their 10,000-mile round trip takes them from the Bering and Chukchi seas, where they gorge on amphipods, south along the coasts of Washington, Oregon, and California, destined for the warmwater lagoons of Baja California. Arriving in these lagoons from December through February, pregnant females give birth to 17- to 20-foot calves. The calves nurse from their mothers, gaining weight and strength for the migration back north between February and April. Humpback Whales Humpback whales are best known for their vocalizations, which cover many octaves. Their songs, apparently sung only by lone males, last as long as 20 minutes, after which they are repeated, often with slight changes. There are three distinct North Pacific populations of humpback whales, two of which feed on krill, plankton, and schooling fish off the coasts of California and Washington during the winter months, as they migrate south to breed in warmer waters: The Mexican population winters off the coasts of Mexico and the Revillagigedo Islands, while the Central American population winters off Central American waters, where they breed. Blue Whales Blue whales are the largest animals that have ever existed on earth, at up to 80 feet in length and weighing more than 150 tons. Their tails alone measure 15 feet across, and their hearts are as large as a Volkswagen Beetle. They feed exclusively on krill by swimming through swarms of these small crustaceans with their mouths wide open, taking in tons of water and straining the organisms through their baleen plates. Blue whales take in an estimated 7,000 pounds of krill each day. Original blue whale populations are estimated at 350,000. Yet two centuries of uncontrolled whaling reduced their numbers to about 15,000. Three distinct populations exist worldwide: northern Atlantic Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, and the Southern Hemisphere. The blue whale population off the California coast numbers around 2,000 individuals. Killer Whales It would be difficult for anyone to mistake a killer whale for any other life form in the ocean. Their size, coloration, and the tall dorsal fin of the adult male are all giveaways. Killer whales are the largest members of the dolphin family. They are matrilineal, where the adult females are dominant. They are highly intelligent social animals that cooperate with each other as they find and take their prey. The resident killer whales of the Pacific Northwest feed almost exclusively on salmon, while the transient population feeds on fish and other marine mammals. Although the life expectancy of killer whales averages 60 years, it is known that a female once gave birth at 80 years of age.