Long-finned Pilot Whale
Encyclopedia
The long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) is one of the two species
of cetacea
n in the genus
Globicephala. It belongs to the oceanic dolphin
family
(Delphinidae), though its behavior is closer to that of the larger whale
s.
, the long-finned pilot whale is really a dolphin. It has a bulbous forehead and is jet black or dark grey with grey or white markings on throat and belly and sometimes behind dorsal fin and eye. The dorsal fin is sickle shaped. The long flippers are about 15 to 20 percent of total body length. It is sometimes known as the pothead whale because the shape of its head reminded early whalers of black cooking pots.
Females reach sexual maturity at about 3.7 m and 6 to 7 years of age. Males need about twice as long to reach sexual maturity at about 4.6 m and 12 years of age. An adult whale weighs 1.8 to 3.5 tonnes.
s, Atlantic white-sided dolphin
s and Risso's dolphin
s. An adult whale needs about 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of food a day, which consists mostly of cephalopods and to a lesser amount of fish. Pilot whales generally take several breaths before diving for a few minutes. Feeding dives may last over ten minutes. They are capable of diving to depths of 600 metres (approximately 1900 feet), but most dives are to a depth of 30-60 metres.
Gestation lasts approximately 12 to 15 months and calving occurs once every 3 to 5 years. Calves are generally 1.8 meters (6 feet) at birth, and weigh about 102 kilograms (225 pounds). The calf nurses for up to 27 months, with some evidence for longer lactation and extensive mother calf bonds. Most calves are born in the summer, though some calving occurs throughout the year. The males may compete for mates with fights involving butting, biting, and ramming. Mating also involves these activities, and some females carry scars from bites inflicted by males during the breeding season. Females have been observed to have calves as late as 55 years old, and lactate as late as 61. This evidence indicates that females may nurse their last calf until puberty (up to 10 years in males).
Communication and echolocation
consist of a wide sound range from three to 18 kHz. These sounds are produced 14 to 40 times a minute.
Long-finned pilot whales are very active and can often be seen lobtailing and spyhopping. The younger ones also breach. Full grown females have been observed breaching, but this is very rare in adult males.
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. These whales have also been observed babysitting calves in the pod while the mother goes deep to feed. It has been observed in the Gulf of Saint Laurence where one female was babysitting up to three calves at a time.
The Long-finned pilot whale is also covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS
), the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS
), the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MoU) and the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia (Western African Aquatic Mammals MoU).
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. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of cetacea
Cetacea
The order Cetacea includes the marine mammals commonly known as 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. It comes from Ancient Greek , meaning "whale" or "any huge fish or sea...
n in the genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
Globicephala. It belongs to the oceanic dolphin
Oceanic dolphin
Oceanic dolphins are the members of the Delphinidae family of cetaceans. These marine 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. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
(Delphinidae), though its behavior is closer to that of the larger whale
Whale
Whale is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea. The term whale sometimes refers to all cetaceans, but more often it excludes dolphins and porpoises, which belong to suborder Odontoceti . This suborder also includes the sperm whale, killer whale, pilot whale, and beluga...
s.
Description
Like the orcaOrca
The killer whale , commonly referred to as the orca, and less commonly as the blackfish, is a toothed whale belonging to the oceanic dolphin family. Killer whales are found in all oceans, from the frigid Arctic and Antarctic regions to tropical seas...
, the long-finned pilot whale is really a dolphin. It has a bulbous forehead and is jet black or dark grey with grey or white markings on throat and belly and sometimes behind dorsal fin and eye. The dorsal fin is sickle shaped. The long flippers are about 15 to 20 percent of total body length. It is sometimes known as the pothead whale because the shape of its head reminded early whalers of black cooking pots.
Females reach sexual maturity at about 3.7 m and 6 to 7 years of age. Males need about twice as long to reach sexual maturity at about 4.6 m and 12 years of age. An adult whale weighs 1.8 to 3.5 tonnes.
Behavior
They are very social, family animals and may travel in groups of up to a hundred. A dominant female is mostly acting as a leader. These groups socialize with common bottlenose dolphinCommon Bottlenose Dolphin
Tursiops truncatus, commonly known as the Common Bottlenose Dolphin, is the most well-known species from the family Delphinidae.Common bottlenose dolphins are the most familiar dolphins due to the wide exposure they receive in captivity in marine parks, dolphinarias, in movies, and television...
s, Atlantic white-sided dolphin
Atlantic White-sided Dolphin
The Atlantic White-sided Dolphin is a distinctively coloured dolphin found in the cool to temperate waters of the North Atlantic Ocean.-Taxonomy:...
s and Risso's dolphin
Risso's Dolphin
Risso's dolphin is the only species of dolphin in the genus Grampus.-Taxonomy:Risso's dolphin is named after Antoine Risso, whose description formed the basis of the first public description of the animal, by Georges Cuvier, in 1812...
s. An adult whale needs about 50 kilograms (110 pounds) of food a day, which consists mostly of cephalopods and to a lesser amount of fish. Pilot whales generally take several breaths before diving for a few minutes. Feeding dives may last over ten minutes. They are capable of diving to depths of 600 metres (approximately 1900 feet), but most dives are to a depth of 30-60 metres.
Gestation lasts approximately 12 to 15 months and calving occurs once every 3 to 5 years. Calves are generally 1.8 meters (6 feet) at birth, and weigh about 102 kilograms (225 pounds). The calf nurses for up to 27 months, with some evidence for longer lactation and extensive mother calf bonds. Most calves are born in the summer, though some calving occurs throughout the year. The males may compete for mates with fights involving butting, biting, and ramming. Mating also involves these activities, and some females carry scars from bites inflicted by males during the breeding season. Females have been observed to have calves as late as 55 years old, and lactate as late as 61. This evidence indicates that females may nurse their last calf until puberty (up to 10 years in males).
Communication and echolocation
Echolocation
Echolocation may refer to:* Acoustic location, the general use of sound to locate objects* Animal echolocation, non-human animals emitting sound waves and listening to the echo in order to locate objects or navigate...
consist of a wide sound range from three to 18 kHz. These sounds are produced 14 to 40 times a minute.
Long-finned pilot whales are very active and can often be seen lobtailing and spyhopping. The younger ones also breach. Full grown females have been observed breaching, but this is very rare in adult males.
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. These whales have also been observed babysitting calves in the pod while the mother goes deep to feed. It has been observed in the Gulf of Saint Laurence where one female was babysitting up to three calves at a time.
Conservation
The North and Baltic Sea populations of the Long-finned pilot whale are listed on Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), since they have an unfavourable conservation status or would benefit significantly from international co-operation organised by tailored agreements.The Long-finned pilot whale is also covered by the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas (ASCOBANS
ASCOBANS
ASCOBANS is a regional agreement on the protection of small cetaceans that was concluded as the “Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas” under the auspices of the UNEP Convention on Migratory Species, or Bonn Convention, in September 1991 and came into force...
), the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS
ACCOBAMS
ACCOBAMS, the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea,Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area is ‘a cooperative tool for the conservation of marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean and Black Seas’....
), the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region (Pacific Cetaceans MoU) and the Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia (Western African Aquatic Mammals MoU).
External links
- ARKive Photos, video
- Short Seasonal Absence of Long-Finned Pilot Whale in the Strait of Gibraltar
- Convention on Migratory Species page on the Long-finned pilot whale
- Official website of the Agreement on the Conservation of Small Cetaceans of the Baltic, North East Atlantic, Irish and North Seas
- Memorandum of Understanding Concerning the Conservation of the Manatee and Small Cetaceans of Western Africa and Macaronesia
- Official website of the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area
- Official webpage of the Memorandum of Understanding for the Conservation of Cetaceans and Their Habitats in the Pacific Islands Region