Eschrichtius robustus
Silhouette: Chris huh · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~10% in a week ~20%
The gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus), also known as the grey whale, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of 14.9–15.2 m (49–50 ft), a weight of up to 41 to 45 tonnes (45 to 50 short tons; 40 to 44 long tons) and lives between 55 and 70 years, although one female was estimated to be 75–80 years of age. One of the longest-living gray whales currently is a female, first sighted in 1977, and estimated to be 53–55 years old as of 2024. The common name of the whale comes from the gray patches and white mottling on its dark skin. Gray whales were once called "devil fish" because of their fighting behavior when hunted, with mothers accompanied by their calves fighting viciously to protect their young if they are attacked. The gray whale is the sole living species in the genus Eschrichtius. It is the sole living genus in the family Eschrichtiidae; however, some recent studies classify it as a member of the family Balaenopteridae. This mammal is descended from filter-feeding whales that appeared during the Neogene.
The gray whale is distributed in a Northeast Pacific (North American), and an endangered Northwest Pacific (Asian), population. North Atlantic populations were extirpated (perhaps by whaling) on the European coast in the 12th to 14th centuries, and on the American and African Atlantic coasts around the late 17th to early 18th centuries. However, in the 2010s and 2020s there have been rare sightings of gray whales in the North Atlantic, Mediterranean, and even off South Atlantic coasts. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Vizcaíno Biosphere Reserve | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 2 | Cabo Pulmo National Park | 🇲🇽 Mexico | |
| 3 | Pacific Rim National Park Reserve | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 4 | Channel Islands National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 5 | Olympic National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 6 | Redwood National Park | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 7 | Great Bear Rainforest | 🇨🇦 Canada |
| # | City | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vancouver | 🇨🇦 Canada | |
| 2 | San Francisco | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 3 | San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 4 | Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 United States |
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Marine Mammal Center | 🇺🇸 United States |
Rare
Under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Whale sighting in San Diego on a given day, based on 34 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. It is the 16th most-seen of the 26 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 10%, and over a week to about 20%, if each day is a fresh chance.
January
In that month about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Gray Whale in San Diego on a given day, against under 5% in February to December, the lowest months. That is one of San Diego's wettest months, with about 40 mm of rain against almost none in July.
Between 10 am and 1 pm
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Gray Whale sightings with a recorded time, and about 8 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Among the best
Of the 4 cities where we can rate Gray Whale sightings, San Diego ranks 3rd at under 5%, level with the leaders once rounded. The best odds are in Vancouver (Canada, under 5%) and San Francisco (United States, under 5%).
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Gray Whale is recorded against all the mammals logged in San Diego (34 verified sightings), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
