What is a pilot whale
Pilot whale belongs to Mammalian class, Cetacea, dolphin family, pilot whale. Also known as the "pilot whale", the Latin scientific name is Globicephalamelas. Pilot whales are mainly distributed in tropical and temperate waters such as the Pacific Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Atlantic Ocean, rarely active in cold waters, and are only seen in the East China Sea and waters near Taiwan Province in China.
The distinction between the head and the trunk of the pilot whale is very small, which gives them a large head, is a timid whale, and has a habit of swimming in groups, following other whales, especially the head whale, pilot whales have dorsal fins, but they are relatively small, and their flippers are positioned further back.
Pilot whale characteristics
Pilot whales are 5-7 meters long and weigh about 3,600 kilograms. The forehead is rounded and the upper jaw is raised and protrudes forward. The snout is particularly short, with no visible protrusion. Viewed from the side, the boundary between the head and the trunk is not obvious, and the head appears large. The mouth is extremely large, and the slit cuts diagonally from the front to the bottom of the head.
Because the cervical spine is so short, the flippers appear to be on the neck. The body is short and thick, but the anus is very thin. The dorsal fin is small, wider than tall, located on the front third of the body, bent backward, and recessed at the posterior margin. The fins are relatively backward, narrow and long, with pointed ends and small caudal fins.
Dorsal and ventral ribbed skin ridges are not obvious. The body is mostly black, slightly lighter on the ventral side, with a cross or anchor shaped white spot between the bases of the two flippers. Fumaroles are short and wide. There are fewer teeth, 7 to 9 on each side of the upper and lower jaws.
Pilot whales is divided into two types, long limbs pilot whales Globicephalamelas and short limb pilot whales Globicephalamacrorhynchus, the surface is black, some species lower part with bright gray or white markings, pelvic fin part there is a wide, bright and gray anchor mark.
The head is spherical in front, more prominent than the snout, the tail has heavy muscles, and the tail fin is 1.3 meters wide. Short-limbed pilot whales have wider, shorter skulls and fewer teeth than long-limbed pilot whales.
The short-limbed pilot whale's dorsal fin is large and forward-leaning, 30 cm high, while the forelimbs of the long-limbed pilot whale are curved, and the flippers take up one-sixth of the body. The pectoral fin of a long-limbed pilot whale is about 18-27% of its body length.
In terms of body size, the short-limbed pilot whale is larger than the long-limbed pilot whale, the average male can reach 5.5 meters, and the weight is maintained at 1260-3150kg; Females average 3.7 m and weigh 600-1150kg. Males can reach a maximum of 7.3 meters and weigh 3.6 tons; Females can reach a maximum of 5.5 m. It is about 1.4-1.9 meters at birth and weighs 60 kilograms.
Why are pilot whales called pilot whales
It is believed that the whale first learned to swim with the boat, as if it were leading the way, after passing fishing boats would often throw food such as small fish and shrimp. And because pilot whales are so large, they avoid hidden reefs beneath the surface when they parade, so it's safer for ships to follow them.
The pilot scale, though it has a whale in its name and behaves like a whale, is actually a member of the dolphin family. The normal pilot whale is about 6 meters long and has a very short snout. From the side, their round forehead protrudes like a ball, and there is no clear boundary between the head and the torso, which makes the head look very large, and thus it is also called "pilot whale".
What do pilot whales do _ Why are pilot whales called pilot whales
Because their neck vertebrae are so short, the fins look like they are on the neck, which is also a prominent feature in identifying pilot whales. Pilot whales are very timid and like to live in groups, seeking safety among each other.
There are often hundreds of whales in a large pod, with one leading the way and the others following it around. The killing of pilot whales has declined in recent years as humans have become more conscious of the conservation of various species.