Whales

=GREY WHALE =

Scientific name: // Eschrichtius robustus //
 * Basic information:**

Grey whale. Also known as, Devil fish, grey back, grey whale, hard head, mussel digger, and rip sack. The gray whale is mottled dark to light grey in color and is encrusted with patches of barnacles and whale lice.

The photo above shows a picture of gray whale in the ocean. In its natural habitat.
 * Photograph:**


 * Scientific Classfication:**
 * Domain || Eukarya ||
 * Kingdom || Animalia ||
 * Phylum || Chordata ||
 * Class || Mammalia ||
 * Order || Cetartiodactyla ||
 * Family || Eschrichtildae ||
 * Genus || Eschrichtius ||
 * Species || Orcinusorca ||

The grey whale typically appears in coastal waters no deeper than 100 metres.
 * Habitat:**

The grey whale is found in shallow seas, and in the open ocean. **1st photo:** Shallow seas. **2nd photo:** Open ocean.


 * Physiology:**


 * Species Interactions:**

Gray whales reach sexual maturity between 5-11 years of age. While mating has been noted throughout the year, it is most evident during the winter months in the Baja lagoons. Gray whale breeding occurs mostly in the winter to early spring while near the surface and in warm waters. The gestation period is about 13.5 months and the calf is born head first (unusual for cetaceans) and near the surface of the warm, shallow waters. The newborn instinctively swims to the surface within 10 seconds for its first breath; it is helped by its mother, using her flippers. Within 30 minutes of its birth the baby whale can swim. The newborn calf is about 15 feet long and weighs about 1-1.5 ton. Twins are extremely rare (about 1% of births); there is almost always one calf.
 * Reproduction:**

1. "Gray Whale." //Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia.// Grolier Online, 2011. Web. 30 Mar. 2011. 2. "Gray_Whale." //[].// BBC, 2011. Web. 3. "Graywhale." //[]//. Dick Russel, 2010. Web. 4. "Graywhale." //[].// Dick Russel, 2010. Web. 5. "Graywhale." []. 2010. Web.
 * Works Cited:**