Whales - Species | Long Finned Pilot Whale

Long Finned Pilot Whale - Globicephala melas

The Long Finned Pilot Whale has a very distinctive and bulbous forehead, from which it gets its species name, Globicephala which means ‘round-headed’. The early whalers used to call them ‘potheads’ as their large rounded forehead overhangs their beak, especially in males. It is black or dark grey, with a white or grey diagonal stripe behind each eye. Adult males measure some 4 – 7.6 meters with females being 3 – 5.6 meters, and weighing approximately 1.8 – 3.5 tonnes. Newborn calves are 1.8 – 2 meters in length and weigh about 75 kilograms. They have stocky bodies, with very long slender pectoral fins, positioned near the head. Short Finned Pilot Whales are very closely related in appearance, except for the length of their fins, therefore it is difficult to tell the two apart. Long Finned Pilot Whales are found in both the northern and southern hemisphere, although preferring the cold temperate to sub-polar waters.

They are very social animals, travelling in groups of up to a hundred, usually with only one whale acting as their leader. Long Finned Pilot Whales often strand themselves on beaches, but due to their very strong family bonds, when one animal strands, the rest of the pod tends to follow. They are very active and enjoy both lobtailing and spyhopping. Generally, they take several breaths before diving back under the surface of the water for a few minutes. When diving in search of squid or fish, they may last over ten minutes and sometimes diving to depths of some 600 meters.

The main diet of the long-finned pilot whale is squid, although when unavailable, it has been known to eat many small fish, such as herring. It has only 40 – 48 teeth, which they used for catching and grasping, but these adult whales can eat up to 30 pounds of food per day. They have been observed hunting for prey in groups, one pod encircling their prey and trapping it in the centre.

Within these groups are some very stable family relationships, such as between a mother and her offspring. Several calves in one pod, may be fathered by the same male, showing that a male can enter the group, and mate with more than one female. Male sexual maturity is at about 12 years of age, with females being from 7 years of age. Calves are generally 1.8 meters and weighing about 225 pounds at birth, being nursed by their mothers for up to 22 months. Gestation lasts anything from 12 to 15 months with calving occurring once every 3 to 5 years. Females give birth mostly in summer, although some calving does occur throughout the year. Males compete for a female by means of biting, butting and ramming each other, some biting even occurring with male to female during their mating activities. Research has found accounts of these whales even bearing young at the late age of 35 years of age.

The Long Finned Pilot Whales are not considered to be an endangered species. Figures have shown there to be approximately a million of these whales, and at least 200,000 of the Short-Finned Pilot Whale worldwide.