Pilot whale
Overview
Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus
Globicephala. There are two extant species, the long-finned pilot whale
(G. melas) and the short-finned pilot whale
(G. macrorhynchus). The two are not readily distinguished at sea and analysis of the skulls is the best way to tell the difference between them. Between the two species, pilot whales range in waters nearly worldwide with long-finned pilot whales living in cold waters and short-finned pilot whales living in tropical and subtropical waters.
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. There are two extant species, the long-finned pilot whale
Long-finned Pilot Whale
The long-finned pilot whale is one of the two species of cetacean in the genus Globicephala. It belongs to the oceanic dolphin family , though its behavior is closer to that of the larger whales.-Description:...
(G. melas) and the short-finned pilot whale
Short-finned Pilot Whale
The Short-finned Pilot Whale is one of the two species of cetacean in the genus Globicephala. It is part of the oceanic dolphin family , though its behaviour is closer to that of the larger whales....
(G. macrorhynchus). The two are not readily distinguished at sea and analysis of the skulls is the best way to tell the difference between them. Between the two species, pilot whales range in waters nearly worldwide with long-finned pilot whales living in cold waters and short-finned pilot whales living in tropical and subtropical waters.
