A brace of Gray Whales (Eschrichtius robustus) make their way south from Alaska to the Sea of Cortez. At this point in their journey, they are between the Southern California/Mexico coastline and the Coronado Islands, which can be seen in the background. Gray Whales are named after John Edward Gray, who described them taxonomically in 1865. These whales have two spiracles, which give rise to a distinctive "heart-shaped" spouting pattern on calm days such as this one.

Gray Whales are benthic sediment feeders, and make their living in shallow Arctic seas consuming crustaceans. This year, life was good in the North, and they ate their fill early and headed south ahead of their typical schedule.

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Make:	NIKON CORPORATION
Model:	NIKON D700
Exposure:	0.002 sec (1/640)
Aperture:	f/11.0
ISO Speed:	200
Focal Length:	85 mm
Lens:	24.0-85.0 mm f/3.5-4.5