3.01 pg 3 marine notes

Migration Overview

• Longest mammalian migration: 12,000-mile round trip.

• Route: icy Arctic seas ⇄ warm Baja California lagoons.

• Late-spring gatherings near Kodiak Island mark both start and finish.

Physical Characteristics

• Narrow, tapered head; streamlined body.

• Surface briefly for a spout, then dive.

• Possess baleen (comb-like keratin plates) instead of teeth.

Feeding Strategy

• Dive to ocean floor, scoop sediment.

• Baleen filters mud/water, traps plankton & krill.

Conservation History

• Heavy whaling in the 1700s–1800s pushed species near extinction.

• International whaling treaty: 1946.

• U.S. Endangered Species Act protection: 1974.

• NOAA management enabled recovery to sustainable levels.

Current Status

• Eastern Pacific population ≈ 24,000 individuals.

• Annual coastal migration offers prime whale-watching opportunities.