Gray Whale
Eschrichtius robustus

Where do gray whales live?

Most of the Eastern North Pacific stock of gray whales spend the summer feeding in the northern Bering and Chukchi Seas. Each fall, starting in November or December, these whales migrate south along the coast of North America from Alaska to Baja California, Mexico. Winter is spent mainly along the west coast of Baja California, often in shallow lagoons and bays. The northbound migration generally begins in mid-February and continues through May, with cows and newborn calves migrating northward primarily between March and June along the U.S. west coast. Although most gray whales spend the summer in the shallow waters of the northern and western Bering Sea and Chukchi Sea, some gray whales feed along the Pacific coast in waters off Southeast Alaska, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, and California.

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