#eschrichtius

by Tim Melling

Photo by Linda Tanner

Photo credit: Peter Pearsall/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

This was the first species I completed for the mysticete commission. I thought I’d dive in headlong and start with my old adversary the Grey whale. They are gorgeous animals, slate grey by nature but covered with an intricate pattern of light and white marks either courtesy of individual variation or scars left behind by parasites and predation. Especially the barnacles that fall off in their cold winter feeding grounds leave very particular, circle-shaped white scars, that can also be seen on humpbacks. Some whales have an almost completely white upper jaw, because that's where the barnacles most commonly attach. After two days of work our dear friend the Grey whale was finished, complete with all the marks, scars and barnacles that so beautifully paint this species. Take a closer look at the flukes and flippers, and you'll notice some big, broad rakemarks. Those are from killer whale attacks, the Grey whale's only natural enemy besides humans. Rarely will the killer whales go after an adult - babies are much easier to overtake and drown - but mothers will defend their calves vigorously, which often lands them a couple of good bites and scratches as well. Here's a great video from National Geographic about one of these rare hunting incidents. Bonus: mom and baby survive! 

The Gray Whale (Eschrichtius Robustus) is the last surviving member of the family Eschrichtiidae. These whales can measure up to 49 feet and can weigh up to 41 tons. During the summer, Gray Whales can be found in their feeding grounds near the Arctic in the northern Pacific Ocean. During the fall, these whales will migrate to the southwestern coasts of North America, mainly California and Mexico, and breed during the winter, before journeying back in the spring. Gray Whales are named for the gray and white patches on their dark skin. During the whaling days, these animals had earned the name "devil fish" due to their aggression when hunted.