Why are gray whales losing their tails?

May 7, 2018 – Many videos show huge whale tails surging from the water. But, occasionally, that doesn’t happen. In 2018, there have been at least three sightings of tailless whales migrating north along the California coast. The injuries appear to be due to entanglement, probably by fishing gear, that either saws off the tail or cuts off its circulation. Migrating for long distances becomes more difficult, though gray whales might depend less on their flukes than other species. Some of the flukeless whales have adapted: They twist their bodies and gain momentum to dive down and surface to breathe. Solutions to the problem are tough to come by, though some fisheries are working on ways to prevent future entanglements.Footage by Brooke Palmer and Justin Crapps.