Size of short-finned pilot whale compared to an average human
Scientific classification
Domain:
Eukaryota
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Chordata
Class:
Mammalia
Order:
Artiodactyla
Infraorder:
Cetacea
Family:
Delphinidae
Subfamily:
Globicephalinae
Genus:
Globicephala Lesson, 1828
Type species
Delphinus globiceps[1]
Cuvier, 1812
Species
Globicephala macrorhynchus Globicephala melas
Exclusive range of short-finned pilot whale
Exclusive range of long-finned pilot whale
Regions of sympatry
Synonyms
Globicephalus
Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus Globicephala. The two extant species are the long-finned pilot whale (G. melas) and the short-finned pilot whale (G. macrorhynchus). The two are not readily distinguishable at sea, and analysis of the skulls is the best way to distinguish between the species. Between the two species, they range nearly worldwide, with long-finned pilot whales living in colder waters and short-finned pilot whales living in tropical and subtropical waters. Pilot whales are among the largest of the oceanic dolphins, exceeded in size only by the orca. They and other large members of the dolphin family are also known as blackfish.
Pilot whales feed primarily on squid, but will also hunt large demersal fish such as cod and turbot. They are highly social and may remain with their birth pod throughout their lifetime. Short-finned pilot whales are one of the few mammal species in which females go through menopause, and postreproductive females continue to contribute to their pod. Pilot whales are notorious for stranding themselves on beaches, but the reason behind this is not fully understood, although marine biologists have shed light on the discovery it is due to the mammals inner ear (their principal navigational sonar) being damaged from noise-pollution in the ocean, such as from cargo ships or military exercises.[2] The conservation status of short-finned and long-finned pilot whales has been determined to be least concern.
^Wilson, D. E.; Reeder, D. M., eds. (2005). Mammal Species of the World: A Taxonomic and Geographic Reference (3rd ed.). Johns Hopkins University Press. ISBN 978-0-8018-8221-0. OCLC 62265494.
^"Sonic Sea". Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, University of Georgia.
Pilotwhales are cetaceans belonging to the genus Globicephala. The two extant species are the long-finned pilotwhale (G. melas) and the short-finned...
morphological similarities with the false killer whale, the pygmy killer whale and the pilotwhales, a study of cytochrome b gene sequences indicates...
most susceptible. This includes the sperm whale, oceanic dolphins, usually pilot and Orcas, and a few beaked whale species. The most common species to strand...
pilotwhale, and dráp, meaning killing), is a type of drive hunting that involves herding various species of whales and dolphins, but primarily pilot...
toothed whales. Sperm whales, narwhals, many members of the beaked whale family, several species of the porpoise family, orcas, pilotwhales, eastern...
the orca, or killer whale, the melon-headed whale, the pygmy killer whale, the false killer whale, and the two species of pilotwhales, all of which are...
other portions of the "blackfish" (or pilotwhale). However, by the beginning of large-scale commercial whaling, whale meat was not consumed by the general...
The sei whale (/seɪ/ SAY, Norwegian: [sæɪ]; Balaenoptera borealis) is a baleen whale. It is one of ten rorqual species, and the third-largest member after...
The bowhead whale (Balaena mysticetus) is a species of baleen whale belonging to the family Balaenidae and is the only living representative of the genus...
minke whale (/ˈmɪnki/), or lesser rorqual, is a species complex of baleen whale. The two species of minke whale are the common (or northern) minke whale and...
Right whale dolphins are cetaceans belonging to the genus Lissodelphis. It contains the northern right whale dolphin (Lissodelphis borealis) and the southern...
The blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) is a marine mammal and a baleen whale. Reaching a maximum confirmed length of 29.9 meters (98 ft) and weighing...
Beaked whales (systematic name Ziphiidae) are a family of cetaceans noted as being one of the least-known groups of mammals because of their deep-sea habitat...
Mesoplodont whales are 16 species of toothed whale in the genus Mesoplodon, making it the largest genus in the cetacean order. Two species were described...
The pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata) is a poorly known and rarely seen oceanic dolphin. It is the only species in the genus Feresa. It derives its...
The fin whale (Balaenoptera physalus), also known as the finback whale or common rorqual, is a species of baleen whale and the second-longest cetacean...
The humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) is a species of baleen whale. It is a rorqual (a member of the family Balaenopteridae) and is the only species...
other whales possessing teeth, such as the beaked whales and sperm whales. 73 species of toothed whales are described. They are one of two living groups...
extant species in the sperm whale family, along with the pygmy sperm whale and dwarf sperm whale of the genus Kogia. The sperm whale is a pelagic mammal with...
pregnant women, and nursing women should abstain from eating pilotwhale meat. Pilotwhale liver and kidneys should not be eaten at all. Animal rights...
whales are three species of large baleen whales of the genus Eubalaena: the North Atlantic right whale (E. glacialis), the North Pacific right whale (E...
The southern right whale (Eubalaena australis) is a baleen whale, one of three species classified as right whales belonging to the genus Eubalaena. Southern...
Global Information
