Friendly Gray Whale Gets Hugs And Kisses From Boat Passenger
Malorie Thompson
A passenger on whale watching tour was gifted the experience of a lifetime when a friendly gray whale approached the boat to be pet!
As captured on video, the passenger pet the whale and even gave her some hugs and kisses!
Photo: The whole time, the whale seemed perfectly content and even made some noises that people are saying are happy sounds.
Twitter user @buitengebieden said of the video, "Whale making sounds of joy."
While it's generally not a good idea to interact with wildlife up close and personal, it's likely that the gray whale in the video is from Laguna San Ignacio in Baja California Sur.
Photo: According to Baja Expeditions, "Baja is the only place in the world where gray whales (Eschrichtius robustus) swim up to [boats] to be stroked, petted, kissed, and even hugged."
As Baja Expeditions explains, "Interaction [with the whales] is entirely on the whales' terms, with mama whales even pushing their calves against the side of the boats to be stroked."
Photo: Major Marine Tours adds, "Gray whales are known to be very curious and inquisitive, giving them reputation of being the 'friendly' whale. They often swim right up to boats and poke their heads vertically out of the water to get a better view of their surroundings..."
You can see the incredibly sweet interaction between the whale and the whale watcher for yourself in the video below:
