Short-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephalus macrorhynchus

Short-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephalus macrorhynchus. Underwater photographs taken in coastal waters off Kona, Hawaii, September 2015. Photography and identification courtesy of Bob Hillis, Ivins, Utah.

The Short-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephalus macrorhynchus (Grey, 1846), is a member of the Delphinidae Family of Oceanic Dolphins that is also known as the Pacific Pilot Whale and in Mexico as caldro’n negro. They have long robust bodies and the dorsal fin has a relatively low long base that is falcate (concave posterior). They have a large head, which gives rise to the Genus name Blobicephalus or “Globe Head”, with a small beak between the mouth, which curves upwards today the eye, and melon. The Short-finned Pilot Whales are back to dark brown in color and many individuals have a light gray saddle behind the dorsal fin. Some also display a light gray line, curving up and back from the eye.

Short-finned Pilot Whales are found in open water and during the day they spend most of their time at or near the surface in pods of 6 to 25 individuals that rest while “logging” or bobbing at the surface. They have a maximum length of 7.3 m  (24 feet). They are often found associated with the Common Bottlenose Dolphins, Turiops truncatus. At night, they hunt for food, diving to depths up to 4,900 feet to find prey. In Hawaii, they are often followed by Oceanic Whitetip Sharks, Carcharhinus longimanus, with the sharks taking advantage of these Whales ability to locate food and to feed on whale leftovers. They located food by echolocation with their primary food being squid, but they also eat fish and octopus. In turn they are preyed upon by Killer Whales and large sharks. Short-finned Pilot Whales are found in tropical and temperate seas, worldwide. In the Eastern Pacific they range from Southern Alaska to Peru including throughout the Sea of Cortez. They are similar in appearance and easily confused with the Long-finned Pilot Whale, Globicephala melas, that is found in the North Atlantic and in higher Southern latitudes.  Females of the species have been documented to live in excess of 55 years.

From a conservation perspective the Short-finned Pilot Whale is currently considered to be of Data Deficient requiring further studies and evaluations.

There are more than 20 synonyms for this species.

Caution! Care should be exercised when snorkeling near Pilot Whales. They have, on several occasions, grabbed a snorkeler by the legs and dragged them beneath the surface. This behavior usually results in only moderate bruising and extreme terror for the snorkeler.