Grey whale mother and calf play with tourists

Not many of us will ever get the chance to get this close to grey whales - but these tourists were lucky enough to be treated to an incredible performance from a female grey whale and her calf off the coast of Baja California, Mexico.

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The once-in-a-lifetime experience was captured by drone footage. The mother, estimated to measure around 40ft and weigh up to 36 tonnes, allows herself to be petted by the tourists, and even her curious calf comes to get some attention.

Every year, grey whales migrate around 5,000 miles between their summer feeding grounds in the Arctic and their warm breeding lagoons in Baja. When they arrive, boats take tourists out to meet them.

Grey whales were once the target of extensive hunting. By the early 20th century they were in serious danger of extinction but today they are protected by international law and their numbers have grown.

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