Oregon mammals

Grey Whale in Oregon

Eschrichtius robustus

Native to Oregon

Not listed as nonindigenous in Oregon by USGS NAS; native to its Oregon range.

IUCN Red List status

  1. LC
  2. NT
  3. VU
  4. EN
  5. CR
  6. EW
  7. EX

LC – Least Concern

Widespread and abundant; not at risk.

Eschrichtius robustus ALM 1702 p1Grey Whale off NootkaGray whaleGrey Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)Eschrichtius robustus 01-cropped
Photo: Carlos Valenzuela · CC BY-SA 4.0Eschrichtius robustus ALM 1702 p1Photo: Tim Gage from Vancouver, Canada · CC BY-SA 2.0Grey Whale off NootkaPhoto: source · Public domainGray whalePhoto: Merrill Gosho, NOAA · Public domainGrey Whale (Eschrichtius robustus)Photo: Merrill Gosho, NOAA · Public domainEschrichtius robustus 01-cropped

Grey Whale in Oregon, by the numbers

Common in Oregon 39th most recorded of 178 mammals logged in Oregon

471 occurrence records
448 with iNaturalist photos
Jul 8, 2026 Last seen in Oregon

Records from 2000–2026.

471 total records count every Oregon occurrence from GBIF and iNaturalist; the map plots a georeferenced sample of 300.

When to look for the Grey Whale in Oregon

Most sightings fall in July to September.

471 Oregon occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) by month of year, 2000–2026. Shows when the species is recorded, not a guarantee of presence.

Monthly Oregon records (table)
MonthRecords
January12
February4
March20
April30
May32
June49
July113
August94
September73
October26
November11
December7

Monthly grey whale occurrence records (iNaturalist and GBIF) in Oregon, 2000–2026.

Seasonality

Year-round in Oregon, with recorded sightings peaking in July–September.

Occurrence map

Where Grey Whale has been recorded in Oregon

300 records mapped · zoom and drag to explore

297 Oregon records mapped

Notable places to look

Park, forest, or monumentiNaturalist records
Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge Wilderness Area 300
Siuslaw National Forest 3
Cape Arago Marine Gardens and Simpson Reef State Natural Area 1
Cape Lookout State Natural Area 1

Protected places with the most grey whale sightings, from the USGS Protected Areas Database plus named mountain ranges, good spots to look, not a full breakdown, so they don't sum to the total.

Where it's recorded in Oregon

CountyRecords
Lincoln County 180
Clatsop County 17
Tillamook County 16
Curry County 12
Coos County 12
Lane County 9
Douglas County 2
Other localities 223

The complete county distribution, spread across 7 Oregon counties. Every occurrence record falls in one county, so these sum to the total. Counties from GBIF and US Census boundaries.

Gray-whale records line Oregon’s coast, where state-park headlands, beaches, and the Oregon Dunes corridor give observers long views across nearshore migration routes. Reports are strongest from June through September, a broader summer concentration than the smaller winter and spring totals in this dataset. Sightings from popular overlooks reflect whale passage, sea conditions, and observer effort; they do not measure the number of whales off Oregon.

Occurrence data from iNaturalist and GBIF.

Eschrichtius robustus ALM 1702 p1
Full species profile Grey Whale Eschrichtius robustus Size 11–15 m36.1–49.2 ft Weight 15000–40000 kg33069.4–88185 lb Lifespan Up to 77 yr View the full profile

More mammals in Oregon in the atlas

Data & sources

The data and visualizations on this page draw on these open sources:

  • GBIFCC-BY 4.0occurrence records behind the range map, elevation, and record counts
  • iNaturalistCC0 / CC-BY / CC-BY-SAobservations, photos, and audio recordings
  • NatureServe ExplorerCC-BYthe state conservation rank
  • IUCN Red Listattributed factthe global conservation status
  • USGS NASpublic domainnative / introduced status
  • Natural Earthpublic domainthe relief basemap
  • USFSpublic domainnational-forest boundaries
  • USGS Protected Areas Databasepublic domainthe named parks, forests, and refuges behind "notable places to look"