Newborn calves are from 12 to 15 feet in length. One whale may weight up to 35 tons, the average being 20 - 40 tons. They are mottled gray in color but tinged with the color of parasites including whale lice and barnacles.
Females give birth every two to three years.
Baleen whale which feeds on the ocean floor, scooping up huge quatities of water and sediment to feed on amphipods, tubeworms, mysids, ghost shrimps, herring eggs and small fishes. They are capable of diving to 395 feet but prefer feeding in shallower waters. Gray Whales are one of the most active whales, with much spyhopping, tail slapping and breeching. They are inquisitive and friendly with humans with mothers often pushing their calves towards whale-watching boats. The Gray whale breathing pattern is regular with three to five blows then a raise of the flukes followed by submerssion for three to five minutes before the pattern begings again.