GRAY WHALE
Eschrichtius robustus
meaning of scientific name: Eschrichtius-named after the Danish professor who worked with these animals; robustus-strong

DESCRIPTION: Gray whales are medium sized whales, reaching up to 45 feet (14 m) in length, with the females usually being larger than the males. They are gray with white patches, which mostly consist of areas where barnacles and lice have attached themselves to the whales. In fact, they carry over 400 pounds of barnacles and whale lice. Gray whales have no dorsal (back) fins. Instead, they have a low hump and a series of six to twelve knuckles or bumps. Gray whales are baleen whales, and each has approximately 300 plates of cream-colored baleen hanging from its upper jaw. Two to five throat creases allow their throats to expand during feeding. Sparse hairs are found on the snout, especially in young whales. Their blows are usually low and puffy or heart-shaped.

RANGE/HABITAT: Gray whales are found only in the Pacific Ocean, with a population of approximately 26,000. The largest group of gray whales summers north of Alaska in the Bering and Chukchi Seas and winters in the waters of Baja California, Mexico. Another group in the Pacific, found in the waters of Korea and Japan, is close to extinction with only 100-250 individuals. Another group of gray whales once lived in the North Atlantic Ocean and became extinct in the 17th century, due to hunting. Gray whales generally stay around the continental shelf and are truly a coastal species.

BEHAVIOR: Gray whales have one of the longest migrations of any mammal. During summer, they live in the Arctic in areas rich in their food, bottom-dwelling organisms. As fall approaches, there is less sunlight, less food, and the water turns cold. This is when the whales travel to Baja California, where they enter lagoons to give birth and mate. Gray whales can be seen passing by California in December and January during their southern migration, and again in March and April on their northern journey.

Since gray whales migrate relatively close to shore, whalewatching has become very popular. Many opportunities are available for viewing gray whales from coastal cliffs and headlands or from whalewatching boats. In the seventies, "friendly whales" were first encountered in San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California, Mexico. Here, gray whales will sometimes swim near small boats and allow themselves to be touched. Concern has grown about the impact of boat traffic around whales, and the number of boats allowed in the breeding lagoons is restricted. Along the migration route, boats' proximity to whales is also limited.

Gray whales feed by sucking in bottom-dwelling animals, mostly amphipods (which are related to shrimp). Muddy patches of water are often seen in places where gray whales are feeding. They feed primarily in the Arctic, although some have been observed feeding during the migration.

MATING AND BREEDING: Female gray whales usually give birth every two to three years, and their pregnancies last twelve months. Newborn calves average 16 feet (4.9 m) in length and weigh about 1,500 pounds (680 kg). Calves are weaned at about eight months, after they have journeyed with their mothers back to the northern feeding grounds.

STATUS: Gray whales have returned from the brink of extinction. In the late 1800s, the gray whale breeding grounds were discovered, and whalers killed a large percentage of the population. The drop in population made it no longer profitable to hunt gray whales; they were left alone and their numbers recovered. However, the early 1900s brought the invention of factory ships, which processed whales aboard the vessels. This new technology allowed intensive hunting on the grays once again, and their population again dangerously dropped to probably fewer than 2,000 individuals. Protection finally came in 1946 through an international agreement to stop hunting them. Since that time, the population has grown to over 26,000, similar to what it was before modern-day whaling. As a result of this population recovery, gray whales were removed from the endangered species list in 1994.

In 1998 the International Whaling Commission reinstated a treaty made between the U.S. Government and the Makah Indians in 1855, giving the Native American group the permission to hunt gray whales. Under the new agreement, the Makah are able to take 20 whales through the year 2004. After a 70-year ban on gray whale hunting, the Makah took their first whale in May of 1999. The revival of the treaty is very controversial. Since the Makah have been allowed to continue gray whale hunting for its importance to their native culture, the environmentalists are calling for no exceptions to the hunting ban. This is because of the fear that the treaty revival will start a trend toward hunting other marine mammals.

DOLPHINS AND PORPOISES
Delphinidae and Phocoenidae

People have long been fascinated with dolphins and porpoises. They have been celebrated in art and literature since ancient Greek times. Even today, dolphins and porpoises are among the most popular animals. Few people would forget an encounter with dolphins, especially one in which a group of wild dolphins comes over to a boat to bowride (surf the wave that the boat makes as it travels through the water).

Dolphins and porpoises are cetaceans, which are mammals in the whale family. Dolphins and porpoises are considered to be small whales. All dolphins and porpoises are toothed whales, or odontocetes. However, dolphins and porpoises differ in the type of teeth they have. Dolphins have sharp conal teeth, while porpoises have teeth that are spade or shovel shaped. In fact, scientists generally use tooth shape as a way of classifying an animal as a dolphin or a porpoise. Dolphins generally tend to have a pointy mouth or "beak" and a curved dorsal fin, but there are exceptions.

All dolphins and porpoises use echolocation, which is something like the sonar used on ships. Dolphins and porpoises produce a sound in the air passages in their heads, which they then send from the front of their heads. There, an oil-filled organ called the melon, focuses or directs the sound. A sound wave might hit an object, such as a fish, and the sound wave then bounces, or echoes back to the dolphin or porpoise. They can use this echo to tell what kind of fish or other object it hit, how large it is, and much more information about their environment. It is like seeing with their ears, but in some ways even better!

Dolphins and porpoises tend to be very social animals, living in groups. Sometimes thousands of individuals are seen together. Dolphin and porpoise mothers generally take care of their calves for one to two years until they are old enough to survive on their own. Like all mammals, they provide milk to their young.

Dolphins and porpoises are found in virtually all oceans and major seas of the world. One family, the river dolphins, is even found in large freshwater rivers such as the Amazon in South America and rivers in China and India. Dolphins and porpoises range in size from the Orca (killer whale) at a maximum of 30 feet (9.5 m) in length and a weight of up to eight tons, to the small vaquita, five (1.5m) long and weighing less than 200 pounds (90 kg).

In the Pacific off the California Coast, several species of dolphins and porpoises are found. They include the beautiful, fast, black and white Dall's porpoise, the numerous but shy harbor porpoise, the gregarious and friendly Pacific white sided dolphin, common dolphins, and the deep diving Risso's dolphin.

Large numbers of dolphins and porpoises are a sign of the health and vitality of our oceans. But unfortunately, tens of thousands of porpoises and dolphins are dying every year due to problems caused by people. Many accidentally get caught in fishing nets and drown. Others get entangled in old nets, which are loose and floating freely. Many near-shore dolphins and porpoises are exposed to pollution and toxins that can make them sick. In recent years, large numbers of sick and dying bottlenose dolphins have washed up on the East Coast of the United States. In some places, people still catch and eat dolphins and porpoises for food or to use as fishing bait.

Many scientists are concerned that dolphins and porpoises now need to be protected in the same way that people worked to save and protect large whales from hunting in the recent past. You can help dolphins and porpoises by keeping informed on current issues, by writing to government officials about your concerns, and by supporting laws that protect dolphins and their ocean home. You can also recycle your trash and use less plastic (which is dangerous to these animals), buy products that are dolphin safe, and participate in beach clean ups.

CALIFORNIA SEA LION
Zalophus californianus
meaning of Latin name: with crest and of California

DESCRIPTION: California sea lions are known for their intelligence, playfulness, and noisy barking. Their color ranges from chocolate brown in males to a lighter, golden brown in females. Males may reach 1,000 lbs. (more often 850 lbs., or 390 kg) and seven feet (2.1 m) in length. Females grow to 220 lbs. (110 kg) and up to six feet (1.8 m) in length. They have a "dog-like" face, and at around five years of age, males develop a bony bump on top of their skull called a sagittal crest. The top of a male's head often gets lighter with age. These members of the otariid or walking seal family have external ear flaps and large flippers that they use to "walk" on land. The trained "seals" in zoos and aquariums are usually California sea lions.

RANGE/HABITAT: California sea lions are found from Vancouver Island, British Columbia to the southern tip of Baja California in Mexico. They breed mainly on offshore islands, ranging from southern California's Channel Islands south to Mexico, although a few pups have been born on Año Nuevo and the Farallon Islands in central California. There is a distinct population of California sea lions at the Galapagos Islands. A third population in the Sea of Japan became extinct, probably during World War II.

BEHAVIOR: California sea lions are very social animals, and groups often rest closely packed together at favored haul-out sites on land, or float together on the ocean's surface in "rafts." They are sometimes seen porpoising, or jumping out of the water, presumably to speed up their swimming. Sea lions have also been seen "surfing" breaking waves. California sea lions are opportunistic eaters, feeding on squid, octopus, herring, rockfish, mackerel, and small sharks. In turn, sea lions are preyed upon by Orcas (killer whales) and great white sharks.

MATING AND BREEDING: Most pups are born in June or July and weigh 13-20 lbs. (6-9 kg). They nurse for at least five to six months and sometimes over a year. Mothers recognize pups on crowded rookeries through smell, sight, and vocalizations. Pups also learn to recognize the vocalizations of their mothers. Breeding takes place a few weeks after birth. Males patrol territories and bark almost continuously during the breeding season.

STATUS: Their population is growing steadily, and California sea lions can be seen in many coastal spots such as Seal Rock or PIER 39 in San Francisco. The current population is approximately 200,000.