# Gray whale (*Eschrichtius robustus*)

Canonical page: https://creaturedata.com/animals/gray-whale  
Data as of: 2026-11-11

The gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) is a mammal in the whales and dolphins group, placed in the family Eschrichtiidae, suborder Mysticeti, order Cetacea. It is a giant, diurnal, marine invertivore that feeds on marine benthos and has an adult body mass of 28.5 tonnes. It has 1 young per litter after a gestation period of 379.9 days, with 0.5 litters per year, and reaches sexual maturity at 8 years. Its lifespan is listed as 77 years, and the IUCN Red List assesses it globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

## Quick facts

| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Weight | 27.3 t – 28.5 t |
| Length | 15.1 m |
| Lifespan | 77 years |
| Diet | Invertivore |
| Main food | marine benthos |
| Habitat | Not recorded |
| Gestation | 365 days – 380 days |
| Young per litter or clutch | 1 |
| Age at maturity | 8 years |
| Litters or clutches a year | 0.5 |
| Active | By day (diurnal) |
| Lifestyle | Marine |
| Migration | Migratory |
| Conservation status | Least Concern (IUCN) |
| Countries on record | Not recorded |

## Classification

- kingdom: Animalia
- phylum: Chordata
- class: Mammalia
- order: Cetacea
- family: Eschrichtiidae
- genus: Eschrichtius
- species: *Eschrichtius robustus* (Lilljeborg, 1861)

Synonyms: *Agaphelus glaucus*, *Balaena boops*, *Balaena gibbosa*, *Balaenoptera robusta*, *Eschrichtius gibbosus*, *Eschrichtius gibbosus*, *Eschrichtius gibbosus*, *Eschrichtius glaucus*, *Eschrichtius glaucus*, *Rhachianectes glaucus*, *Rhachianectes glaucus*

## Common questions

### How heavy is a gray whale?

The gray whale has an adult body mass of 28.5 tonnes, which places it in the giant size class.

### What does the gray whale eat?

The gray whale is an invertivore whose main foods are marine benthos.

### Is the gray whale endangered?

No. The IUCN Red List assesses the gray whale globally as Least Concern, which is not a threatened category.

### How long does a gray whale live?

The gray whale's lifespan is listed as 77 years.

### What kind of animal is the gray whale?

The gray whale is a marine mammal in the whales and dolphins group, belonging to the family Eschrichtiidae in the order Cetacea, suborder Mysticeti.

### How many young does a gray whale have?

The gray whale has 1 young per litter, with 0.5 litters per year, after a gestation period of 379.9 days.

### What are other names for the gray whale?

Other English names for the gray whale are Grayback, Rip sack, Hard head, Devilfish and Grey whale.

## Sources

- [An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1), CC0 1.0, E096-269. Myhrvold, N.P., Baldridge, E., Chan, B., Sivam, D., Freeman, D.L. & Ernest, S.K.M. (2015) An amniote life-history database to perform comparative analyses with birds, mammals, and reptiles. Ecology 96: 3109. https://doi.org/10.1890/15-0846R.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3563457.v1
- [Catalogue of Life eXtended Release](https://www.checklistbank.org/dataset/316691), CC BY 4.0, 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life (2026). Catalogue of Life eXtended Release, version 2026-10-16 XR. Catalogue of Life Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands. https://doi.org/10.48580/dgzlf
- [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org), per file (CC0 / public domain / CC BY green, CC BY-SA amber, anything else not displayed), 2026-11-11. Wikimedia Commons contributors. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org (each file credited to its author under its own licence).
- [EltonTraits 1.0: species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals](https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1), CC0 1.0, 1.0. Wilman, H., Belmaker, J., Simpson, J., de la Rosa, C., Rivadeneira, M.M. & Jetz, W. (2014) EltonTraits 1.0: Species-level foraging attributes of the world's birds and mammals. Ecology 95: 2027. https://doi.org/10.1890/13-1917.1. Data: https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.3559887.v1
- [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org), CC0 1.0, 2026-11-11. Wikidata contributors. Wikidata. https://www.wikidata.org (data retrieved via the Wikidata Query Service).
- [Wikipedia (English)](https://en.wikipedia.org), CC BY-SA 4.0, 2026-11-11. Wikipedia contributors. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (text under CC BY-SA 4.0; each block names its article and revision).

Cite as: Gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/gray-whale