Whales have barnacles attached to them that cannot be shaken off so easily. The fluke is the end portion of the whale's tail. The Humpback Whale's fluke has unique patterns that serve as identifiers of individual animals similar to a fingerprint in a human being. Spyhopping is what a whale does by poking its head out of the water. It is believed that whales use a series of squeaks, clicks, and whistles.
Scientific research continues to explore the way and why of how whales communicate.
Along the San Mateo Coast, we primarily see the Gray Whale and the Humpback Whale. Gray Whales can grow to a very large size with males averaging 40 ft. and females 42 ft. The Gray Whale is generally dark gray in color with mottling patterns of white patches that are used by scientists to identify individual animals. The Gray Whale migrates along our coastline each year between Baja California and the Arctic. This migration places the Gray Whale in our area usually between December through March.