Description Globicephala melas
English: Long-finned pilot whale spyhopping in Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, Canada
Français : Globicéphale noir sur la côte de l'île du Cap-Breton, Nouvelle-Écosse, Canada
Italiano: Un globicefalo emerge dalle acque dell'Isola del Capo Bretone, Nuova Scozia, Canada
Date 6/29/10
Source Watching Whales 4 http://www.flickr.com/photos/barneymoss/4802313503/in/photostream/
Author Barney Moss http://www.flickr.com/photos/barneymoss/
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Pilot_whale_spyhop.jpg

The long-finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas) is a large species of oceanic dolphin. It shares the genus Globicephala with the short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus). Long-finned pilot whales are known as such because of their unusually long pectoral fins. This species was first classified in 1809 by Thomas Stewart Traill and given the name Delphinus melas. However, this scientific name was changed later to Globicephala melaena. Then in 1986, the specific name for this species was reverted to its original form melas. Order: Artiodactyla, Infraorder: Cetacea, Family: Delphinidae, Genus: Globicephala, Species: Globicephala melas (Traill, 1809), Synonyms: Globicephala melaena.