The presence of a gray whale in the Mediterranean is rare and surprising, as these whales usually swim in the Pacific Ocean.
According to what was reported by the “Jafra News” news site, a gray whale, about 15 months old and 8 meters long, deviated from its normal course, as it was seen off the coast of the Maghreb in early March, then on the Italian coasts off Naples, then Rome and Genoa , To be seen off the French coast.
This type of whale usually lives between California in the winter and Alaska in the summer, and it has been seen only twice off the shores of the Mediterranean, the first time it has been seen off the French shores.
Rencontre inhabituelle pour la region …#baleine #bormeslesmimosas pic.twitter.com/6rpVla2uPy
— Emeric de VIGAN (@Emericdevigan) May 1, 2021
The Greek Whale Research Group said, “This whale, born in California, got lost in the Beaufort Sea during its first feeding season, and instead of returning to the Pacific Ocean, across the Atlantic, it got stuck in the Mediterranean.”
The group stated that “the whale is in good health, but lean, as the Mediterranean environment does not suit its diet,” since it feeds from invertebrates in the muddy sand, which is rare in the Mediterranean region.
The group hoped that the whale would continue its journey towards the Gulf of Lion, then the Spanish coast, and then out of the Mediterranean Sea through the Strait of Gibraltar and reaching the Atlantic Ocean.