One of the 2 pilot whales on WAnimals
Mammals · Artiodactyla · Delphinidae
Long-finned Pilot Whale
Globicephala melas
The species is abundant and widely distributed; it faces no significant short-term risk. See full glossary
It is sadly known for frequent mass strandings, a phenomenon linked to the strong social bonds and close kinship within each pod.
Weight
1.3 t – 2.3 t
Size
5 m – 6.5 m
Lifespan
45 years
Diet
Carnivore
Feeds mainly on other animals.
Activity
Irregular activity
Active at irregular times, by day or night depending on circumstances.
Social structure
Hierarchical pack
Lives in an organised hierarchical group, typical of cooperative hunters.
Sighting difficulty
Easy
Fun facts
- It suffers mass strandings as a group because of the strong social bonds within its pods.
- In the Faroe Islands it has been the subject of a traditional hunt documented for more than 11 centuries.
- It feeds mainly on deep-water squid.
- comportamientoIt lives in stable matriarchal groups where post-reproductive females, much as in orcas, may go on helping to raise grandcalves for decades after they stop breeding.
Life cycle & biology
- Skeleton type
- Vertebrate - internal bony skeleton (marine mammal)
- Habitat & environment
- Deep, cold oceanic waters of the North Atlantic and the southern hemisphere
- Birth weight
- 70-100 kg; 1.5-1.8 m long
- Size at birth
- 1.5 - 1.8 m long at birth
- Sexual maturity
- Female: 6-8 years | Male: 12 years (up to 15-20 years in some populations)
- Gestation / incubation
- 12-16 months
- Litter / clutch size
- 1 young, with an interval between births of 3-6 years
- Lifespan in captivity
- Documented record of 37.8 years in captivity
Sources consulted: Animal Diversity Web; Australian Government Species Profile; AnAge (genomics.senescence.info); PMC (Southern Hemisphere age growth study); Animalia.bio; AnimalSpot; Life Conceptu Maris; Mammal Society; NOAA Fisheries
Where to find it
See its range on the interactive mapWhere to watch it
Parques y spots de buceo donde se ha documentado esta especie — se muestran 20 de 89 documentados.
Related species
Other species in the catalogue with the most in common with Long-finned Pilot Whale — same habitat, park, country, tags or family.
White-beaked Dolphin
Lagenorhynchus albirostris
Least ConcernShort-beaked Common Dolphin
Delphinus delphis
Least ConcernBottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus
Commerson's Dolphin
Cephalorhynchus commersonii
Striped Dolphin
Stenella coeruleoalba
Risso's Dolphin
Grampus griseus
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