Eschrichtiidae or the
gray whales is a
family of
baleen whale (suborder
Mysticeti) with a single extant species, the
gray whale (
Eschrichtius robustus). The family, however, also includes three described fossil genera:
Archaeschrichtius and
Eschrichtioides from the
Miocene and
Pliocene of Italy respectively, and
Gricetoides from the Pliocene of North Carolina. The names of the extant genus and the family honours Danish zoologist Daniel Eschricht.