A giant barnacle-encrusted gray whale nuzzles her calf next to a small boat of excited tourists in the waters off Baja California, Mexico, Saturday, March 27.
Migrating whales are bringing much needed boost to Mexico’s battered tourism industry.
The annual arrival of the migratory mammals, coinciding with a drop in coronavirus infections, has provided a much needed boost to the region’s battered tourism industry.
For visitors, close encounters with one of the largest animals on the planet are a welcome respite from a pandemic that has killed more than 200,000 people in Mexico — the world’s third highest toll.
Each year, gray whales travel about 9,000 kilometers from their summer feeding grounds off Alaska to mate and give birth in the warmer waters off northwestern Mexico.
Similar in size to a humpback whale but recognizable from their mottled grey coloring, they span up to around 15 meters and weigh as much as 30-40 tons.