Some 15 species of whales thread their way through the Inside Passage. The most common are humpback, orca, gray and minke. These gentle giants roam through Southeast Alaska to feed. They have no teeth, so they can eat only small animals. Adults may eat 2,000 pounds of food per day.
Many whales migrate to tropical waters for breeding and birthing their babies.
The gestation period is about 11.5 months for humpbacks. A humpback whale breaches near South Shelter Island, in the Juneau area. They drink mother's milk, which is about 50 percent fat, and gain weight about 7 pounds per hour for the first month. Baleen whales do not live in family groups, but often gather into small feeding groups. About 750 humpbacks visit Southeast Alaska during the summer months.