GRAY WHALE

Newport, Oregon

DID YOU KNOW?

Spot the Spout, See the Fluke!

The air that comes from The Gray Whales blow hole creates a column of mist which is called a blow or spout. Theirs can be about 15ft tall and when you see it, you know these whales are coming up for air before diving down again for food. Be sure to keep watching - after 3-5 blows, once they dive their tales can be seen (called a Fluke:) and that is quite a scene!

Make Sure to Brush Your...Baleen?!

The Gray Whale is a part of the Baleen family. Baleen is a series of fringed plates made of keratin that hangs down from their jaw. It filters their food from the ocean water and sand they fill their mouths with from the ocean floor.

You wouldn't want to get stuck in that filter - or maybe you would since it would otherwise lead you straight to the stomach of this giant!

80,000 lbs.

This whale can grow up to 50 feet and be 80,000 pounds!

They also have knuckles that line their backs, have two blow holes, and are covered in barnacles.

Sleeping Giant

Whales have a unique adaptation called unihemispheric sleep. This causes half their brain to shut down at a time while they sleep. allowing them to rest while still being aware of their surroundings.

They're sometimes called "logging" because they look like floating logs in the water!

SPIRITUAL MEANING

Connection to the Collective - they have a deep connection with the ocean and the vastness of their migration patterns
Power of transformation
Renewal and Rebirth

UNIQUE

The Gray Whales migration:

There are around 200 resident whales off the coast of Oregon year round - and during winter and spring migrations there are about 18,000 that pass through!

Why?

They feed in the Northern, cold waters to build fat for warmth and their journey ahead
They breed and birth in the Southern warm waters making is easier on their kin to grow up in

These animals travel one of the longest migrations of any mammal - often their travels are 10,000-14,000 miles long and take up to two to three months!

PONDER

Traveling far and wide doesn't have to happen literally but can happen wherever you are, at any time. Imagination is a necessary and explorative outlet and outlook on life. So, the question is, where would you want to travel to, what do you want to learn about, become and Be? Just as the Gray Whale, You also can migrate and travel great lengths, for a great purpose. And as the well-known saying goes - Great things take time. There is no rush, there is just the Present and with that what you know, how you think, and who you are is unique and special. If there is something you are striving for or have wanted to begin, your Essence is waiting to be recognized and seen!

"A thing can travel everywhere, just by holding still" (pg. 1)

The Overstory by Richard Powers

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