Beached Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)

Observation by Marilyn Swann and Janet Mitchell:

Beached whale in Kivalina, Alaska. Unknown species to our region. I called the 877-925-7773 to report it.

7/10/2018 Update: NOAA identified it as a gray whale.

Comments by LEO Editors

According to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Gray Whale Species Profile there are two populations of gray whales in the Pacific ocean. The western-most population is estimated to travel between the Sea of Okhotsk and southern Korea. The eastern population travels from the Southern Gulf of California and Baja up to the summer feeding grounds in the Bering, Chukchi and Beaufort Seas.