This week the Newport Coastal Adventure crew made an expedition to Catalina Island and filmed something rarely if ever, documented from a drone: Whale Milk! Look closely and you can see active nursing including clouds of milk coming off this mother Gray Whale and out of the baby’s mouth.
Gray Whales make an annual migration from Alaska to Mexico each year. These whales make the 12,000 mile round trip toward the warm and protected lagoons of Baja Mexico to aid in the success of calving and breeding. Research suggests that more than 50% of all Gray Whales are born North of Los Angeles and will then swim closly with their mothers the remaining 700+ miles down to the lagoos in Mexico. Along the way these mothers are nursing their calves with over 53% fat, nutrient rich milk! The baby whales drink about 50 gallons of milk each day. The rich milk helps the calves gain 60 to 70 pounds a day.