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Long-finned Pilot Whale

 

 
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Long-finned Pilot Whale
 
 
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The Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) is one of the two species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 of cetacea
Cetacea

The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Cetus is Latin and is used in biological names to mean "whale"; its original meaning, "large sea animal", was more general....
n in the genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 Globicephala. It belongs to the oceanic dolphin
Oceanic dolphin

Oceanic dolphins are the members of the Delphinidae family of cetaceans. These aquatic mammals are related to whales and porpoises. They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves....
 family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 (Delphinidae), though its behaviour is closer to that of the larger whale
Whale

Whales are marine mammals of order Cetacea which are neither dolphinsmembers, in other words, of the families Oceanic dolphin or River dolphinnor porpoises....
s.

Like the orca
Orca

The Killer Whale or Orca , less commonly, Blackfish or Seawolf, is the largest species of the dolphin family. It is found in all the world's oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctica regions to warm, tropical seas....
, the Long-finned Pilot Whale is really a dolphin. It is jet black or dark grey with a grey or white diagonal stripe behind each eye, and a large, round forehead (melon).






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The Long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) is one of the two species
Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
 of cetacea
Cetacea

The order Cetacea includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. Cetus is Latin and is used in biological names to mean "whale"; its original meaning, "large sea animal", was more general....
n in the genus
Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
 Globicephala. It belongs to the oceanic dolphin
Oceanic dolphin

Oceanic dolphins are the members of the Delphinidae family of cetaceans. These aquatic mammals are related to whales and porpoises. They are found worldwide, mostly in the shallower seas of the continental shelves....
 family
Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is a taxonomic rank. Exact details of formal nomenclature depend on the Nomenclature Codes which applies....
 (Delphinidae), though its behaviour is closer to that of the larger whale
Whale

Whales are marine mammals of order Cetacea which are neither dolphinsmembers, in other words, of the families Oceanic dolphin or River dolphinnor porpoises....
s.

Like the orca
Orca

The Killer Whale or Orca , less commonly, Blackfish or Seawolf, is the largest species of the dolphin family. It is found in all the world's oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctica regions to warm, tropical seas....
, the Long-finned Pilot Whale is really a dolphin. It is jet black or dark grey with a grey or white diagonal stripe behind each eye, and a large, round forehead (melon). It is sometimes known as the pothead whale because the shape of its head reminded early whalers of black cooking pots.

Field ID: Stocky body, bulbous melon, single blowhole, long black flippers, black or dark grey colour, backward-leaning fin, fin set forward on body, frequently lobtails and spyhops, prefers deep water.

Length (metres): Male: 4 - 7.6m. Female: 3 - 5.6m. Newborn: 1.8 - 2m.

Weight: Adult: 1.8 - 3.5 tonnes. Birthweight: 75kg.

Diet: Squid and sometimes fish

Behaviour

They are very social, family animals and may travel in groups of up to a hundred, with one animal acting as leader. Long-finned Pilot Whales often strand themselves on beaches - because they have strong family bonds, when one animal strands, the rest of the pod tends to follow. They are very active and can often be seen lobtailing and spyhopping. The younger ones also breach, but this is rare in adults. Pilot whales generally take several breaths before diving for a few minutes. Feeding dives, when they are looking for squid or fish, may last over ten minutes. They are capable of diving to depths of 600 metres, but most dives are to a depth of 30-60 metres.

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