The marine mammals are heading to warmer waters, where they will birth their calves

Dec 27, 2012 15:31 GMT  ·  By

Recent news from Southern California informs us that local gray whales have finally decided that the time has come for them to pack their belongings and head towards warmer waters.

Thus, their annual Pacific migration has begun, and people have gathered by the hundreds to bid them farewell and catch a glimpse or two of these marine mammals as they head towards their new home.

The reasons behind this migration are fairly simple: the whales need to give birth to their calves, and can only do so in warmer waters, seeing how the young whales lack the blubber that keeps their parents warm during the winter months, Mercury News explains.

“How do we spot a whale? Their noses are on top of their heads. We look at the horizon where the sky meets the water and look for a blow. If you see it, yell: 'Thar she blows!'” jokingly said Larry Fukuhara from the Cabrillo Marine Aquarium.