Gray Whales can reach a length about 40 to 50 feet, and weight between 50,000 to 80,000 pounds. I have read that they can live up to 40-60 years, some 70 years. Just like people, once they reach middle age, they seem to get a little fatter. The Gray Whales have a double blow hole, most of the older grays have scars and tooth rake marks from encounters with Orca Whales / Killer of Whales.
The dimples on the young calf’s are where you can see the baby’s facial hair if you are lucky enough to get close. This dimply shortened face is characteristic of all young Gray Whales. A lot of times the calves will poke their heads out of the water to get a better look at us whale watchers. Whales are mammals, they breath air, have hair (calves have hairs around the front of their heads), are warm blooded, and give birth to live offspring that suckle milk from their mothers. The Gray Whale is in the sub-order Mysticeti family. The Mysticeti whales have a baleen instead of teeth. The male Gray Whale can reach 45 feet, while the female’s can reach 50 feet and weigh 30 or 35 tons. The largest Gray Whales have flukes, (tails) that can span ten feet.
While they are in the Northern waters, the Gray Whales feed mostly on tiny shrimp like amphipods. There are ample amphipods in the Northern waters during the summer because the longer days create more phytoplankton and zooplankton, which is the food amphipods feed on. Gray Whales are the only bottom feeding whale. The amphipods that the Gray Whale feeds on live on the muddy bottom of the North Pacific Ocean. One Gray Whale is believed to turn about 50 acres of sediment during a season of feeding. The mud that is churned is oxygenated, and exposed to the nutrient rich water and is seeded for the next year’s harvest. When gray whales feed on the bottom they like to use their right side to scour the bottom and find their food. This has been noted by several long time observers. When they feed they swallow mouthfuls of mud from the bottom, then use their baleen as a filter to drain out unwanted material. This leaves the amphipods stuck to the baleen inside their mouths. They then use their tongues to loosen the amphipods from the baleen, and swallow. During migration and while in calving areas, gray whales eat very little, but on occasion they will eat shrimp like mysids or small fish at the surface. The blubber they add during the summer feedings provides energy for the remainder of the year. Some whales can go without food for 3-5 months.
For more information on whale watching, pictures, and video's visit: http://oceannavigation.blogspot.com
Reservations
Thank you for your interest in whale watching on the Whales Tail. I am sure that you will have a fun and a memorable experience. If you would like to make a reservation for whale watching, just send the requested information below. I will get back with you as soon as possible.
Daily Trip Times
8:00am, 9:30am, 11:00am, 12:30pm, 2:00pm, 3:30pm, 5:00pm
Please select trip duration: 1hr. $25.00 or 1 1/2 hr. $35.00
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If you would like to make a reservation you can E-mail me at: garybosn@gmail.com
Something new this year we are offering are sweatshirts that have our Whales Tail logo on the back, different colors and sizes are available.
Thank you for visiting our website, we hope to see you aboard the Whales Tail.
Dockside Charters
270 Coast Guard Pl.
Depoe Bay, Oregon 97341
Phone: 541-765-2545
Toll Free: 1-800-733-8915
