Gray Whale

The gray whale, also spelled grey whale, is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of 14.9–15.2 m and a weight of up to 41 to 45 tonnes, and lives between 55 and 70 years, though one female was estimated at 75–80 years. The common name comes from the grey patches and white mottling on its dark skin, which are scars left by parasites that drop off in its cold feeding grounds (Wikipedia, general species account).

It is the sole living species in the genus Eschrichtius. Gray whales were once called 'devil fish' because mothers accompanied by calves fought viciously to protect their young when hunted. Mammal checklists list Vietnam for this species only tentatively.