gray whale
Refers to the species Eschrichtius robustus. Often called コククジラ in full.
See also: コククジラ
Gray whales inhabit the North Pacific.
The migration routes of gray whales are being studied.
Usually written in katakana as a biological name; usually written in kana.
Kanji spelling using 小 (small) + 鯨 (whale); rarely used.
Alternate kanji spelling using 児 (child); even rarer.
Shortened from コククジラ. The kanji 小鯨 (small whale) and 児鯨 (child whale) are descriptive but not the origin of the name.