Gray whale and cub give sympathy show off Mexico coast [video]

The gray whale, also known as the Korean Ojotsk, can reach up to 14 meters in length and weighs between 20 and 40 tons. It is the species with the longest trajectory among all animals on Earth and can be found in the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans.

They have a special fondness for swimming near the coast and can be seen less than a kilometer from land. During the months of May and October, they take advantage of the warmer Bering Sea temperatures to mate and feed well.

When winter arrives in the northern hemisphere, they begin a 10, 000-kilometer journey to the warmer waters of western Mexico's bays. There the puppies will be born and spend their first weeks of life before making their way back to the Arctic. The video you see above was filmed in San Ignacio Lagoon in the Mexican state of Baja California.

Wildlife photographer Mark Carwardine used a drone to record the moment when a mother whale and her calf approached a boat full of tourists who were there to watch the cetaceans. The animals were close enough for people to touch them at a time they will surely never forget.

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