Gray whales are the type of baleen whales that are skimmers and bottom-feeders. Their weight is measured in tons because they are massive – as large as 48 feet.

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Unlike killer whales, gray whales have diet preferences for benthic or bottom-dwelling animals. With their large mouths, they can take in a great deal of fish and gobble them.

With the myriad of food options, gray whales take advantage of their baleen mouthpart to feed on a variety of diets. We’ll explore and highlight their specific diet to learn about “what do gray whales eat?”

Insects, Animals, and Fish

Being the baleen whales, gray whales stick to their benthic-eating habits. Relative to their weight and size, gray whales feed on thousands of tons of food a day.

With strong upper jaws, gray whales can filter the bottom and capture as much prey as they can. That said, gray whales eat shrimp, krill, herring, amphipods, crustaceans, isopods, mysids, hooded shrimp, crab larvae, and other small bottom-feeders.

The mysids are the favorite food of gray whales as they are found in large quantities. Besides, gray whales can turn sides and skim the bottom for capturing any small edible food item like tube worms.

Fruit, Vegetables, and Plants                   

The skim feeding behavior allows gray whales to filter plant-based particles found at the bottom. Gray whales eat plants and algae such as plankton in particular.

With their skim-feeding, gray whales take in whatever is hidden or covered beneath or around rocks. After all, they have to feast on more food as part of their diet to survive in the ocean.

What gray whales don’t eat?

Gray whales don’t eat humans because that’s not included in their menu. Moreover, gray whales don’t eat seals, sea lions, dolphins, or sharks. That is because those are the preferred prey of killer whales!