Photo: Eschrichtius Robustus

The annual migration of the Gray Whale or Eschrichtius robustus is thought to be the longest of any mammal.

The scientific name for Gray Whales is Eschrichtius robustus. They Gray Whale is the only species in the genus Eschrichtius. They are probably best known for their extraordinary migration which takes them from the warm, shallow waters of the lagoons in the Baja California to the waters off Alaska. The migration takes between 2 to 3 months and 8,000 - 11,000kms one way. John Gray gave the Gray Whale the scientific name of Eschrichtius robustus after zoologist Daniel Eschricht. The Gray Whale also goes by the names of Devilfish, Mussel digger, Scrag Whale, and California Gray Whale. The American spelling of gray has been adopted internationally for the whale.