Pilot Whales: Everything about these lovely specimens…

Few people know that there are a lot species of whales, and one of them is the pilot whale. It is very important to know everything about them, and above all to know how to differentiate one from the other.

pilot whales: pully

Characteristics Of The Pilot Whales

Each whale has a distinctive feature, that differentiates it from the others; since otherwise there would be only one species. It could vary its color, its fin or even its size. Regarding the pilot whales, their dark color which sometimes tend to black and some other times seems to be dark gray; must be mentioned as their  main characteristic.

As a matter of fact,  there are two species of pilot whales; and  sometimes it is almost impossible to distinguish one from the other. The easiest way to do it  is by  observing  their  fins,  which have different sizes.

Pilot whales are very large. The male can reach  a little more than 20 feet long, and around 3 tons in weight; which means it is really big and heavy. As far as the females, they usually weigh around 1.5 tons, while they measure only about 16 feet;  that is, it is really easy to distinguish a male pilot whale from a female..

Behavior  Of The Pilot Whales:

Regarding their behavior, we should start mentioning that this beautiful marine animal is usually found in very deep waters. So, it´s not easy to see them, as is the case of others whales.  They are also very smart creatures,   which makes them very easy to train.

Moreover, they are very sociable, which means that they often make up groups of more than 100  individuals of their own species. In some cases these groups have been observed on the beaches, and it is said that this is because a parasite affects their  brain, which prevents them from keeping their  way.

In conclusion, we must say that the pilot whales have many amazing characteristics; to the point that they can be trained by humans, with whom they are very sociable. So, at all times we must have a lot of love for the animals, and above all respect, remembering that they also have feelings. (see: the article:. Endangered whales)

Alimentation Habits of The Pilot Whales

The pilot whale feed on different marine species, which vary  from squid to different types of small fish, so they  have a large amount of food.

All this means that they don´t  go through hard work,  if for any reason they don´t find their favorite food; and that is a great advantage for them

They usually eat a  little more than 30 pounds of food per day, which is a small amount , when comparing it with that other types of whales.

They have a particular hunting technique, which consist in emitting a whistle, creating then  a kind of circle, which makes the preys  a little hypnotized, being easier to hunt them  .

Watch this video, to know about the sounds emitted by the Pilot Whales




Habitat of the Pilot Whales

It is believed that pilot whales are distributed throughout the world,  and they can live peacefully both in the tropics and in temperate waters. However, the short-finned pilot whales are found mainly in the warmest waters.

It is necessary to emphasize, that the two types of pilot whales are always completely separate; only in some occasions; as is the case of their  migration process,  they cross each other.

Reproduction Of The Pilot Whales

First of all we should mention, that females reach the sexual maturity much faster than  males; since they do it from 7 years of age, while the males a little more than 10 years. Their mating consists of really aggressive acts between the males, in order to attract the attention of the females that are around. (see the article  Whales Reproduction )

Finally we offer you this beautiful video, to learn more about these specimens…




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