Gray whale Gray whale The gray whale ("Eschrichtius robustus"), also known as the grey whale, gray back whale, Pacific gray whale, or California gray whale is a baleen whale that migrates between feeding and breeding grounds yearly. It reaches a length of , a weight of , and lives between 55 and 70 years. The common name of the whale comes from the gray patches and white mottling on its dark skin. Gray whales were once called devil fish because of their fighting behavior when hunted. The gray whale is the sole living species in the genus Eschrichtius, which in turn is
Bowhead whale Bowhead whale The bowhead whale ("Balaena mysticetus") is a species of the family Balaenidae, in parvorder Mysticeti, and genus "Balaena", which once included the right whale. A stocky dark-coloured whale without a dorsal fin, it can grow in length. This thick-bodied species can weigh from . They live entirely in fertile Arctic and sub-Arctic waters, unlike other whales that migrate to low latitude waters to feed or reproduce. The bowhead was also known as the Greenland right whale or Arctic whale. American whalemen called them the steeple-top, polar whale, or Russia or Russian whale. The bowhead has the largest mouth