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Long-finned Pilot Whales

Pilot Whales are the species most often seen in novelty acts at marine parks however, in the wild, they lobtail and spyhop but don’t usually breach

A toothed whale species, the long-finned pilot whale is also known as a 'blackfish'. It is a bit smaller than the orca and slightly larger than the short-finned variety. The species found in the southern hemisphere is a separate species from the long-finned pilot whale in the northern hemisphere and is also a different species from the short-finned pilot whale.

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Information about Long-finned Pilot Whales

The long-finned pilot whale is brownish-gray with a lighter gray saddle patch and a diagonal stripe starting at the eye. These whales are entertaining to watch on Antarctica tours and elsewhere because of their antics and large pods. It is the species most often seen in novelty acts at marine parks. They lobtail and spyhop but don’t usually breach. Their diet consists mostly of squid, octopus and fish, and they may stay down over ten minutes to feed, diving over a thousand feet.

The adult male long-finned pilot whale may reach twenty-five feet and weigh over two tons. In the southern hemisphere, females give birth every three to five years after a gestation of twelve to fifteen months, usually during the warmer months between October and April in the Southern Hemisphere. The long-finned and short-finned species are difficult to distinguish in the wild except by location. Only the long-finned species is seen during travel to Antarctica, mostly in the vicinity of the Atlantic Convergence or as far north as the Falkland Islands. The short-finned species remains in deep subtropical and tropical waters, mostly north of the equator.

About a million long-finned pilot whales are thought to exist throughout the world. Though the International Whaling Commission does not have an accurate count of populations in the southern hemisphere, it is estimated that as many as 200,000 inhabit these waters. The species has a natural life span of about fifty years. The animals are vulnerable to stranding. When hunted commercially, the most efficient whaler technique is to drive pods to the beach to slaughter.

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