Q 01/05

Gray whales, which hug North America's Pacific coast, have one of the longest what of any mammal?

A) Deep dives

B) Migrations

C) Pregnancies

D) Lifespans

Answer · why

B) Migrations

Migrations of up to 22,000 km a year carry gray whales from Arctic feeding grounds to warm calving lagoons and back. They travel night and day, coveri...

Q 02/05

Each winter gray whales swim south from the Arctic to give birth in warm lagoons in which country?

A) Chile

B) Panama

C) Mexico

D) Peru

Answer · why

C) Mexico

Mexico's Pacific lagoons fill with nursing, calving and mating gray whales by late winter. The shallow water is thought to keep newborn calves safe fr...

Q 03/05

Whalers gave gray whales which nickname because mothers fought so fiercely to protect their calves?

A) Sea canary

B) Ghost whale

C) Devil fish

D) Sea wolf

Answer · why

C) Devil fish

Devil fish was the whalers' name for gray whales, which reacted violently when harpooned. Today the same animals are known for their gentle curiosity ...

Q 04/05

Gray whales breathe through two blowholes, so in calm air their spout can form which shape?

A) A ring

B) A heart

C) A star

D) A cross

Answer · why

B) A heart

A heart is the shape of the gray whale's distinctive blow on a windless day. Toothed whales such as dolphins could never make one, because they have a...

Q 05/05

In their winter lagoons, gray whales often swim up to small boats and let tourists do what?

A) Feed them

B) Ride them

C) Pet them

D) Tag them

Answer · why

C) Pet them

Pet them: gray whales in the calving lagoons often come close enough to boats to be touched. That curiosity has made whale watching there especially p...