short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) Description Short-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus)
Date 19 November 2005, 10:54
Source Short-finned Pilot Whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) http://www.flickr.com/photos/sussexbirder/8604841637/
Author Ron Knight from Seaford, East Sussex, United Kingdom http://www.flickr.com/people/9919745@N03
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Short-finned_Pilot_Whale_(Globicephala_macrorhynchus)_(8604841637).jpg
The short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) is one of the two species of cetaceans in the genus Globicephala. It is part of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae), though its behaviour is closer to that of the larger whales. Short-finned pilot whales can be confused with their relatives the long-finned pilot whales, but there are various differences. As their names indicate, their flippers are shorter than those of the long-finned pilot whale, with a gentler curve on the edge. They have fewer teeth than the long-finned pilot whale, with 14 to 18 on each jaw. Short-finned pilot whales are black or dark grey with a grey or white cape. They have grey or almost white patches on their bellies and throats and a grey or white stripe which goes diagonally upwards from behind each eye. Order: Artiodactyla, Infraorder: Cetacea, Family: Delphinidae, Genus: Globicephala, Species: Globicephala macrorhynchus Gray, 1846.