Scientist Brianna Witteveen sees many things during whale studies. Of course, whales poop too. She took this photo and said:

"All I know is that gray whales seem to poop much more frequently than fin or humpback whales. The volume and consistency depends on what the whales are feeding on. I've never seen a solid gray whale poop, but I have seen big, pink 'logs' from fins and humpbacks. In Kodiak, we seem to have a population of 'resident' gray whales that can be seen just about every month of the year. These animals are feeding on cumaceans, which is a departure from their more typical diet of mysids in the Bering Sea.

(Did this photo inspire you to become a whale scientist?)

Thank you, Briana H. Witteveen, Ph.D.
University of Alaska Fairbanks
Fishery Industrial Technology Center