We've all seen Migaloo and the growing cohort of colourless whales that cruise the waters off Australia, but locals in Mexico have a celebrity pale whale of their own – and she's known as "Gallon of Milk" (extra points for the awesome name).  

Officials from the National Commission of Natural Protected Areas (CONANP) encountered GoM during a recent aerial survey, a welcome sight as this large gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) had not been seen in the area since 2009. More exciting still was the whale's precious cargo: a small calf.

Over 2,000 gray whales were counted this year in the Ojo de Liebre lagoon, a stopover for the large whales that scientists have been monitoring for decades. Mexico's warm-water lagoons serve as breeding, birthing and nursing grounds – the final layover on one of nature's longest migrations, which begins in Alaska’s Bering Sea, nearly 6,000 miles north.

That calf won't stay small for long: gray whale calves consume some 50 gallons of high-fat milk per day! According to CONANP, nearly half the whales seen this year were born in Mexico, and they hope to see GoM and her little one return. 

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Top header image: Robert Nunn/Flickr