Once hunted to the brink of extinction, the resilient gray whale has made a comeback.

Nature · Published 30 September 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: Known as the devil fish for their fierce defense of their young, gray whales undertake one of the longest migrations of any mammal. While commercial whaling nearly wiped them out, international protections have allowed the eastern Pacific population to recover, marking a rare success story in marine conservation history.

Gray whales, or Eschrichtius robustus, are the sole living members of their genus and family. These massive creatures can reach lengths of about 49 feet and weigh approximately 90,000 pounds. Their appearance is distinct, characterized by a mottled gray body covered in barnacles and whale lice, and a series of small bumps known as knuckles along their back, which lacks a traditional dorsal fin. They are primarily bottom feeders, using 130 to 180 coarse baleen plates to filter invertebrates from seafloor sediment.

The species once inhabited the North Atlantic, but that population was exterminated by whaling in the early 1700s. In the Pacific, commercial whaling brought both the eastern and western populations to the edge of extinction by 1925. However, international conservation measures, including a mid-1980s moratorium on commercial whaling, helped turn the tide. The eastern North Pacific stock, which migrates between the Arctic and Baja California, Mexico, successfully recovered and was removed from the U.S. endangered species list in 1994.

Despite this success, the species still faces significant threats, including vessel strikes, entanglement in fishing gear, and noise pollution. The western North Pacific stock remains critically endangered, with estimates suggesting fewer than 300 individuals remain. While the average lifespan is not definitively known, some individuals have been estimated to reach 75 to 80 years of age. Today, these whales are a focal point for ecotourism, known for their surprising curiosity toward boats in certain regions.

Recent research has complicated our understanding of these animals. While traditionally viewed as isolated, satellite tagging and genetic data suggest some western Pacific whales migrate across the Gulf of Alaska to the North American coast. Furthermore, while long considered the only living species in their family, the 2017 discovery of the extinct Akishima whale has provided new context for their evolutionary history, with some scientists even debating their classification in relation to rorqual whales.

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