gray whale

Definition of gray whale

: a large baleen whale (Eschrichtius robustus) of the northern Pacific having short jaws and no dorsal fin

Examples of gray whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web On June 12, the agency received a report that a dead gray whale had been spotted from the air at the mouth of the Theodore River, west of the Susitna River, according to the federal agency. — Anchorage Daily News, "NOAA says dead gray whale in Cook Inlet is likely the one stranded near Portage," 24 June 2020 The saga of the skeleton began in May 2000, when a dead gray whale washed up on the flat, sandy beaches of Long Beach. — Jamie Hale | The Oregonian/oregonlive, oregonlive, "The sad, smelly story behind a beloved gray whale skeleton in Long Beach," 22 Dec. 2019 Abundant wildlife, including migrating gray whales, harbor seals, and California sea lions, adds to year-round excitement. — Patricia Doherty, Travel + Leisure, "25 Best Beaches in the U.S.," 20 May 2020 But that finding alone doesn't explain how a sunspot could possibly cause a gray whale to get lost. — Fox News, "Solar storms might be causing gray whales to get lost," 13 Jan. 2020 Research studying the health and number of gray whales this spring has been temporarily shut down during the coronavirus pandemic. — oregonlive, "Gray whale carcass buried in the sand after washing up on the Oregon coast," 21 Apr. 2020 Indeed, Granger found that on days when radio waves from the sun are at their strongest, gray whales are four times more likely to strand. — Ed Yong, The Atlantic, "The Strange Influence the Sun Has on Whales," 24 Feb. 2020 As gray whales began their northern migration along the Pacific Coast earlier this month — after a year of unusually heavy die-offs — scientists were poised to watch, ready to collect information that could help them learn what was killing them. — oregonlive, "Whales are dying. Coronavirus has stalled scientists’ efforts to find out why.," 29 Mar. 2020 Last year, an unusually high number of gray whales — 123 — washed up dead in the United States. — Joshua Sokol, New York Times, "Sunspots and Stranded Whales: A Bizarre Correlation," 25 Feb. 2020

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'gray whale.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

29 Jun 2020

Cite this Entry

“Gray whale.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/gray%20whale. Accessed 11 Jul. 2020.

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