Gray Whales feed in a very unique way , unlike any other whale, they feed on the ocean floor ( benethic feeders ) usually in shallow waters less than 200 feet deep. They dive to the bottom of the ocean floor , turn on one side ( usually the right side ) open their mouth and suck ( by moving their tonuge up and down ) the sediment which contains their food , Amphipods. At the same time , the throat grooves allow the throat to expand so that the whale can suck up larger quantities of sediment and water at one time. Once the mouth is full , the whale will slightly close it's mouth and by using it's tongue , push the water and sediment out of it's mouth through the baleen plates, which filters and traps the food, the whale then licks the baleen to collect the food and swallows it.

AMPHIPODS ( Gray whale food )

Gray Whales feed primarily during the summer months of long daylight hours in the cold artic waters of the Bering and Chukchi sea . During this time ( about 5 months ) the Gray whale can consume up to 70 tons of food.

At one time it was thought that the Gray whale did not feed during it's long migration, but we now know that is not true. While migrating the Gray whale will sometimes feed if the opportunity arises, therefore they can be considered as opportunistic feeders.

BACK