Una de las experiencias más cautivadoras que he hecho en mi toda mi vida sin duda es el avistamiento de Ballenas en Baja California Sur, tanto de Ballenas Jorobadas como de Ballena Gris, de esta última es la que voy a hablarles el día de hoy.
The Gray Whale (Eschrichtius robustus), annually makes a long journey of 10,000 kilometers from the icy waters of the Bering Strait to the tropical waters of Magdalena Bay and Ojo de Liebre Lagoon, within the Biosphere of the Vizcaino Desert Reserve in Baja California Sur, better known as the Sanctuary of the Gray Whale, where they spend weeks, to carry out reproductive activities, and give birth to their calves, which take advantage of the tranquility of the waters within the coastal lagoons which are shallow waters and without strong currents, and in this way they learn to swim and feed safely.
They make such a long migration due to the temperature of the water in their feeding areas, as this would cause the death of the calves since they still do not have a layer of fat under the skin fully formed and an adequate size.
These whales are regularly territorial in nature, but in these sanctuaries their behavior is social and friendly, and they themselves are the ones who seek contact with humans.
A characteristic behavior of the species is their jumps and when they rest they do it on one side of their body while moving the pectoral fin in the air. They usually swim in groups of 1 to 3 whales, but groups of up to 18 individuals have been observed. The normal swimming speed is 7-9 km/hr.
REPRODUCTION
The sexual maturity of both genders is reached on average at 8 years. The calving season runs from the end of December to the beginning of February and the average length of the offspring at birth is 4.5 m and a weight of 500 kg.
During the migration to the breeding lagoons, the first ones to travel are the females that are about to give birth, then those that have recently ovulated, then adult males and pre-adult specimens of both genders.
Females give birth once every two years, usually to a single calf. The gestation period lasts 13 months; the offsprings are born in a period of 5-6 weeks in late December and early February, registering the maximum number of births in the breeding lagoons between January and February.
The closest place to Los Cabos and La Paz, to carry out this activity is Magdalena Bay , having different ports that offer this service, Puerto San Carlos, Puerto Adolfo López Mateos and Puerto Chale.
For me this activity is a delight, the natural and wonderful show that these fantastic beings give us, without a doubt it is one of the things that I love most about living in this wonderful destination, and one of the most beautiful memories of my life is to do this activity together with my mother, (who had never seen a whale), and seeing her face of amazement and happiness at seeing these gentle giants up close, was for me, one of the most rewarding things I have ever done in my life.
Do not miss the opportunity to do this incredible and wonderful experience, which only nature is able to give you, contact us to know the different options we can offer you to enjoy this experience that only occurs in a few places of the planet.
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