What is a California Gray Whale

What is a California Gray Whale | Migration | Feeding | Whaling | Behavior | Calving
Baleen – fringed plates of keratin growing on upper jaw instead of teeth; used for the filtering of food.
Barnacle – a crustacean which attaches itself to the skin.
Blowholes – the nostrils on the top of the head .
Dorsal ridge – a series of bumps or knuckles on the back of some whales.
Ear – organ of hearing.
Eye – organ of sight.
Flipper – the broad, flat forelimb used for steering.
Flukes – a whale’s tail.
Rostrum – the snout of a whale.
Throat Grooves – pleats running from lower lip to chest.
Umbilicus – the navel.
Uro-genital slit – opening for reproduction and elimination.

The Gray Whale

The gray whale is a mammal. Like all mammals, it bears live young, breathes air, is warm blooded¹, and nurses its young. The gray whale is in the scientific order Cetacea² (from the Latin “cetus”), and in the sub-order Mysticeti³ (from Latin for mustache). All Mysticeti whales have baleen fringes inside their mouths rather than teeth, and they have two blowholes.

Definitions

¹Warm blooded – maintains a constant internal temperature

²Mysticeti (\mis-ta-cets\) – The baleen whale

³Cetacean (\si-ta-shan\) – marine mammals that include whales, dolphins , and porpoises.