Today's Report Includes:

• Whale Watching: News from Observation Posts >>

• Seeing Clues: How Old is This Whale? >>

• Journal Question: How Many Pounds Per Foot? >>

• Gray Whales: Weathering Change? Part Two >>

• Tracking the Migration: Using Weekly Data ≥≥

• Links: This Week's Gray Whale Resources ≥≥

Seeing Clues: How Old is This Whale?

Whale watchers notice all sorts of things. One day observers for ACS-LA reported "One whale appeared to be a juvenile, but it never showed its back much so it was hard to tell."

That made us wonder how observers know if a whale is young or old. What clues might they watch for? What could a whale's back tell watchers about its age?

Discover four clues that indicate a whale's age! >>

After you look at the "Baby Face" photo study, think about this!

• If a newborn gray whale baby is 15 feet long and weighs 2,000 pounds, how many pounds does it weigh per foot of length?
• If you weighed the same pounds per foot of your length, how much would you weigh?
• Why do you think whales are so heavy and big? How are they adapted to their ocean environment? (See Resources)
  

Write responses in your Gray Whale Journal. >>

For centuries gray whales have migrated nearly 5,000 miles to give birth to their young. Mexico's warm, salty, sheltered lagoons have been great nurseries for baby whales.

But has something changed? From observers in Mexico comes surprising news: the El Niño-Southern Oscillation has created colder waters in the lagoons. As a result, many gray whales are going further south to the Cabo San Lucas area — and even turning north, traveling well up into the Sea of Cortez in search of warmer water.

What problems could result from colder water in the lagoons? Is this a believable observation? Think like a scientist as you look at the map and consider this information. >>

All Gray whales do not travel together or at the same time. In general, groups of whales travel in “pulses.” The pulses generally move up the coast in this order: (1) newly pregnant females, (2) males, juveniles from the previous year and non-pregnant females, (3) cow/calf pairs. What do the data show?

• When did any pulses (surge in numbers) take place at Coal Oil Point? >> At Los Angeles? >>
• Compare northbound migration progress past Los Angeles with past years. >>
• Graphing gray whale data through the whole season? Add the latest data. >>

• Scientist's Interview: Michael H. Smith >>
• Reading Strategies: Reading With Experts: Navigating Difficult Passages >>
• Media Link: World on the Move: BBC Tracks Gray Whales >> (Interviews with Michael H. Smith of Gray Whales Count!)
• Journey North Feature: Climate Connections >>
• Lesson: Adaptations that Help Gray Whales Survive >>
• Two Experts Comment: Why Head South? >>
• Teachers: Getting Started >>
• Ask the Expert: Opens April 4, 2008! >>
  

The Next Gray Whale Migration Update Will Be Posted on March 26, 2008.

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