Common Name: Small Toothed Whales or Blackfish
Class:
Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family:
Delphinidae
Subfamily:
Globicephalinae
Genus: Five
genera
Species: Six
species |
Small Toothed Whales: Subfamily Globicephalinae
The
whales of the subfamily Globicephalinae belong to the Mammalian
Order Cetacea, in the suborder Odontoceti. All toothed whales
belong to the suborder Odontoceti, which is Latin for "toothed
whales". Globicephalinae is derived from the Latin word globus,
meaning "a round ball", and the Greek word kephale, meaning
"head". This refers to the round, bulbous heads of these animals,
which do not have prominent beaks.
Globicephalinae is a subdivision of the family Delphinidae, the
largest cetacean family. The six species are the pygmy killer
whale, Feresa attenuata , false killer whale, Pseudorca
crassidens, melon-headed whale, Peponocephala electra,
long-finned pilot whale, Globicephala melas, short-finned
pilot whale, Globicephala macrorhynchus, and killer whale,
Orcinus orca. Members of this family are characterized by dark
gray or black coloration, prominent dorsal fins, and a bulbous
forehead lacking a distinguished rostrum. Sailors collectively
called the species of this subfamily "blackfish".
There
are five genera within the subfamily Globicephalinae, containing a
total of six species. The genera and species are:
Genus: Feresa
The generic name
Feresa, is probably derived from the Latin word ferus,
meaning "fierce". This may be a reference to the killer whale, a
species for which this genera shares some skeletal similarities.
Pygmy killer whale
Feresa attenuata
The specific name,
attenuata, is Latin for "tapered". This refers to the body of
the pygmy killer whale as it becomes more slender from the head
towards the dorsal fin. The species is commonly called the pygmy
killer whale because it has some skeletal similarities to the killer
whale, Orcinus orca. This species inhabits temperate and
tropical ocean waters worldwide. Adults are dark gray in color,
occasionally with lighter lateral coloration and white areas on the
lips and underside. Adults measure 6-7 feet in length and
250-300lbs in weight. Captive pygmy killer whales ate mackerel,
sardines, and squid. Interestingly, despite their small size, pygmy
killer whales eat other species of dolphin. Dolphins kept with
captive pygmy killer whales exhibit fear behaviors. Length at birth
is 2.5 feet. These animals live in pods with 5-10 individuals.
Pygmy killer whales are not observed as commonly as other members of
Globicephalinae.
Genus: Pseudorca
The generic name
Pseudorca, is derived from the Greek pseudes, meaning
"false", and the Latin word orca, which is referring to the
killer whale, Orcinus orca. This is especially appropriate
because the single species in this genus is the false killer whale,
which resembles the killer whale in general body shape.
False killer whale
Pseudorca crassidens
The specific name,
crassidens, is derived from the Latin words crassus,
meaning "heavy or thick", and dens, meaning "tooth". This
refers to the large, heavy teeth of this species. This species
inhabits temperate and tropical ocean waters worldwide. Adults are
dark gray in color, occasionally with lighter lateral coloration and
white areas on the lips and underside. Males measure 18-19 feet in
length. Females reach 15 feet in length. Adults may reach 1.5
tons. Captive false killer whales were not aggressive towards other
dolphins. Interestingly, a male false killer whale and female
bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, successfully
interbred, producing a hybrid offspring at Hawaii's Sea Life Park.
Squid, fish and young dolphins are eaten. Gestation lasts 15-16
months. Length at birth is 5-6 feet. Calves are weaned at 1.5-2
years. Sexual maturity is attained at 8-11 years for females and
16-21 years for males. These animals live in large groups,
occasionally exceeding 100 individuals. False killer whales are
numerous and currently not in immediate danger of extinction.

False killer whale,
Pseudorca crassidens
Genus: Peponocepahla
The generic name
Peponocephala, is derived from the Latin words pepo,
meaning "pumpkin", and the Greek kephale, meaning "head".
This refers to the shape of the head.
Melon-headed whale
Peponocephala electra
The specific name,
electra, is probably named for the Greek nymph Elektra, a
daughter of Oceanus, a mythical personification of the Atlantic
Ocean. This species inhabits temperate and tropical ocean waters
worldwide. Adults are dark gray in color with lighter white areas
on the lips and a white oval on the underside. Adults measure 8-9
feet in length and 450lbs in weight. Squid and fish are the main
components of the melon-headed whale's diet. Gestation lasts about
12 months. Length at birth is three feet. Sexual maturity is
attained at 7 years for females and 10 years for males. These
animals live in large groups, occasionally exceeding 100
individuals. Melon-headed whales are numerous and currently not in
immediate danger in of extinction

Melon-headed whale,
Peponocephala electra
Genus: Globicephala
The generic name
Globicephala, is derived from the Latin word globus,
meaning "a round ball", and the Greek kephale, meaning
"head". This refers to the round, bulbous heads of these animals,
which do not have prominent beaks. Both species are commonly called
pilot whales. They are referred to as pilot whales because the
largest male acts as the leader or pilot for the rest of the group
(Webster's Third New International Dictionary).
Long-finned pilot whale
Globicephala melas
The specific name,
melas, is Greek for "black". This refers to the general
coloration of the animal. This species inhabits temperate and
tropical ocean waters worldwide. Sexual maturity is attained at 6-9
years for females and 11-18 years for males. The pectoral fins of
long-finned pilot whales exceed 16% of their overall body length,
while those of short-finned pilot whales do not exceed 15% of their
overall body length. Adults measure 11-25 feet in length and
1000-6000lbs in weight. Adult males weight twice as much as adult
females. Pilot whales are the second largest members of
Delphinidae, with only the killer whale, Orcinus orca, being
larger. Squid is the main component of the pilot whale's diet.
Gestation lasts about 12 months. Length at birth is about six
feet. Calves are weaned at two years. Sexual maturity is attained
at 7-12 years for females and 15-22 years for males. Males leave
their school after weaning, while females remain. This forms a
matrilineal society. These animals live in large groups,
occasionally exceeding 1000 individuals.
The social system is
quite complex. Individual males or small groups of males maintain
harems of females. During the time when commercial whalers
exploited whales, pilot whales would rush towards harpooned
individuals. Panicked animals would rush towards shallow water,
exposing themselves as easy targets for whalers. This type of
behavior is probably responsible for the mass strandings associated
with pilot whales. Researchers theorize the echolocation of the pod
leader malfunctions, driving him to shallow water, resulting in his
own stranding. The other pod members panic and run themselves
aground, possibly trying to aid the leading pilot whale. Captive
pilot whales are similar in trainability to commonly performing
cetacean species. They are numerous and currently not in danger of
extinction.
Short-finned pilot whale
Globicephala macrorhynchus
The specific name,
macrorhyncus, is derived from the Greek words makros,
which means "large or long", and rhunkos, which means "snout
or beak". This probably refers to the large front portion of the
animal's head. This species inhabits cool temperate ocean waters of
the Southern Hemisphere and North Atlantic. Adults are completely
black with the exception of a white mark beneath the chin. The
pectoral fins of long-finned pilot whales exceed 16% of their
overall body length, while those of short-finned pilot whales do not
exceed 15% of their overall body length. The biology of the
short-finned pilot whale is similar to that of the long-finned pilot
whale.

Short-finned pilot
whale, Globicephala melas
Genus: Orcinus
The generic name,
Orcinus, is Latin for "whale-like".
Killer whale or Orca
Orcinus orca
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