Globicephala macrorhynchus

"The short-finned pilot whale is one of two species of the genus Globicephala living in North American waters, mostly in tropical to temperate waters of the continental shelf. ""Globicephala"" translates directly to the most prominent characteristic of the genus, its round head. Short-finned pilot whales travel in coordinated pods of about 25 individuals. These may be groups of closely related females of all ages and their offspring, plus one or a few adult males. In tropical waters, pods may join together to form large herds, and are sometimes seen ""logging,"" a behavior in which they all face the same direction and bob like floating logs. Presumably they are resting.  Males reach reproductive age at 13 and females at about 8 years. The average life span is about 45 years for males and 55 years for females. One unexplained phenomenon is that groups of these whales sometimes come ashore, strand, and die. Such strandings are relatively common on beaches in the Carolinas, Florida, and the Gulf of Mexico"

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Mammal Species of the World

Azores Exclusive Economic Zone, Comores, Eritrea, European waters (ERMS scope), Gulf of Mexico, Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mediterranean Sea, Mozambique, New Zealand Exclusive Economic Zone, North West Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Portuguese Exclusive Economic Zone, Reunion, Seychelles, Somalia, Spanish Exclusive Economic Zone, Tanzania

Short-finned Pilot Whales are found in warm temperate to tropical waters of the world, generally in deep offshore areas (Reilly and Shane 1986, Olson and Reilly 2002). They do not usually range north of 50°N or south of 40°S. There is some distributional overlap with their long-finned relatives (G. melas is the only other species currently recognized), which appear to prefer cold temperate waters of the North Atlantic, Southern Hemisphere, and previously the western North Pacific. Only Short-finned Pilot Whales are currently thought to inhabit the North Pacific, although distribution and taxonomy of pilot whales in this area are still largely unresolved (Kasuya 1992). The two geographic forms of Short-Finned Pilot Whale off Japan have different, but partially-overlapping, distributions. The range includes the Sea of Japan. This species is not thought to inhabit the Mediterranean Sea, but it does occur in the southern Red Sea (Olson 2009). There are no confirmed accounts of Globicephala in the Persian Gulf, which is generally shallow with high salinity and turbidity (Boer et al. 2003, Preen 2004).

The Pacific, or short-finned, pilot whale lives throughout the tropical and warm temperate waters of several oceans and associated seas and bays.

Biogeographic Regions: indian ocean (Native ); atlantic ocean (Native ); pacific ocean (Native )

in all oceans

occurs (regularly, as a native taxon) in multiple nations

Canada

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Transient

United States

Origin: Native

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Global Range: (>2,500,000 square km (greater than 1,000,000 square miles)) Cosmopolitan in tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate waters; in North America, north mainly to the mid-Atlantic states and central California (sometimes to Alaska). Generally regarded as abundant within the range (IUCN 1991). See IUCN (1991) for further details.

Pilot whales are jet black with a white patch on their chin, which may extend dorsally to the anus. They have a large, blubous head, with no beak and a slightly prominent upper lip. There are 7-9 large, conical teeth in each side of the uper and lower jaws. The flippers are short (about 1/5 of body length) and sickle-shaped. The dorsal fin is located further forward on the body than on any other cetacean. There is a median notch on the tail flukes. Sexual dimorphism occurs, with males reaching 5.9 m in length and 3000 kg and females growing to 4 m and 1200 kg.

Range mass: 1200 to 3000 kg.

Other Physical Features: endothermic ; homoiothermic; bilateral symmetry

Sexual Dimorphism: male larger

Length: 600 cm

Sexual Dimorphism: Males are larger than females.

Length:
Average: 5.5 m
Range: 7 m males; 4.3 m females

Weight:
Range: up to 3,000 kg males; up to 1,500 kg females

Habitat and Ecology

Systems

• Marine

Pilot whales are known to migrate from cold to warm waters.

Aquatic Biomes: coastal

warm temperate to tropical, oceanic

Depth range based on 435 specimens in 1 taxon.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 376 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 0
  Temperature range (°C): 12.570 - 28.782
  Nitrate (umol/L): 0.035 - 8.292
  Salinity (PPS): 31.668 - 36.629
  Oxygen (ml/l): 4.409 - 6.246
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.052 - 1.086
  Silicate (umol/l): 0.803 - 12.244

Graphical representation

Temperature range (°C): 12.570 - 28.782

Nitrate (umol/L): 0.035 - 8.292

Salinity (PPS): 31.668 - 36.629

Oxygen (ml/l): 4.409 - 6.246

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.052 - 1.086

Silicate (umol/l): 0.803 - 12.244
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

Habitat Type: Marine

Comments: Usually offshore, but moves inshore when squid are spawning (e.g., in spring off southern California) (Leatherwood and Reeves 1983). Exhibits a relatively high degree of site fidelity, at least seasonally (see Stacey and Baird 1993).

Non-Migrant: No. All populations of this species make significant seasonal migrations.

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make local extended movements (generally less than 200 km) at particular times of the year (e.g., to breeding or wintering grounds, to hibernation sites).

Locally Migrant: No. No populations of this species make annual migrations of over 200 km.

Makes seasonal offshore-inshore migrations (inshore mainly in spring off southern California) (Leatherwood and Reeves 1983). See also Stacey and Baird (1993).

Pilot whales ingest about 45 kg of food per day. The main component of diet is squid, although small fish are also eaten.

Animal Foods: fish; mollusks

Primary Diet: carnivore (Molluscivore )

Comments: Recorded stomach contents include squid (LOLIGO OPALESCENS) (Seagars and Henderson 1985).

10,000 to >1,000,000 individuals

Commonly in groups of a few to several hundred (average around 20-25); often with dolphins (especially bottlenose). Mass standings sometimes occur.

Average lifespan
Sex: male
Status: wild: 46.0 years.

Average lifespan
Sex: female
Status: wild: 63.0 years.

Maximum longevity: 63 years (wild) Observations: The MRDT was calculated to be about 20 for females and the IMR 0.017 (Foote 2008). It has been speculated that females stop reproducing after about the age of 40.

Pilot whales are polygynous and, in breeding groups, there is a ratio of about 8 breeding females to 1 breeding male.

Mating System: polygynous

Females reach sexual maturity at 7-12 years, males at 15-22 years. The breeding season is spread across the year, gestation lasts 11-13 months, and one calf is born. Weaning occurs at an average of 2 years, although has been known to extend to 6 or even 10 years (these longer periods are found in older mothers). Calves are born at a 7 year interval, and a maximum of 4-5 calves are born in the mother's lifetime. Female reproduction slows after about age 28 years and stops after age 40 years.

Breeding interval: Calves are born at a 7 year interval, and a maximum of 4-5 calves are born in the mother's lifetime.

Breeding season: The breeding season is spread across the year.

Average number of offspring: 1.

Range gestation period: 11 to 13 months.

Average weaning age: 24 months.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (female): 7 to 12 years.

Range age at sexual or reproductive maturity (male): 15 to 22 years.

Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; year-round breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); viviparous

Average birth mass: 60000 g.

Average number of offspring: 1.

Breeding/parturition apparently vary geographically (see IUCN 1991). Gestation lasts about 15 months; young take solid food beginning at 6 months but may continue to nurse for two to several years; females probably stay in their mother's group for life; sexually mature at average age of about 9 (females) to 15 (males) years; females may stop breeding in their 30s; may live several decades (see Stacey and Baird 1993 for further details).

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There is 1 barcode sequence available from BOLD and GenBank.   Below is the sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen.  Other sequences that do not yet meet barcode criteria may also be available.

Download FASTA File

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 2
Specimens with Barcodes: 2
Species With Barcodes: 1

Year Assessed

Assessor/s

Reviewer/s

Contributor/s

Justification

History

• 2008
  Data Deficient
  (IUCN 2008)
• 1996
  Lower Risk/conservation dependent
• 1994
  Insufficiently Known
  (Groombridge 1994)

Pilot whales are conservation dependent, and may be functionally extict in areas such as Newfoundland, but there are still sufficient numbers to support healthy populations of this species.

CITES: appendix ii

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species: data deficient

Canada

Rounded National Status Rank: NNA - Not Applicable

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NU - Unrankable

Rounded Global Status Rank: G5 - Secure

Reasons: Large range; no serious threats.

Population

Population Trend

Global Short Term Trend: Relatively stable (=10% change)

Major Threats

Degree of Threat: D : Unthreatened throughout its range, communities may be threatened in minor portions of the range or degree of variation falls within natural variation

Comments: Population off northern Japan is considered to be at risk (see Stacey and Baird 1993) due to relatively high harvest rates (IUCN 1991). More information is needed on population status and impact of harvest in the Caribbean region (IUCN 1991). Vulnerable to incidental mortality in squid driftnet fishery (IUCN 1991).

Conservation Actions

None known.

Before international whaling laws were enacted, pilot whales were heavily hunted in the Faroe Islands and Japan for meat and oil. Kills of over 10,000 a year were reported by Japan, and over 100,000 in 300 years (1584-1883) in the Faroe Islands.

Comments: Harvested for food and oil by hand-harpoon in certain areas of the West Indies (several hundred per year) (see IUCN 1991 for details). Harvested sporatically in Japan and Okinawa; in Japan, annual catch in recent years has been several hundred (IUCN 1991). Has been commonly displayed in some marine aquaria.

Data Deficient (DD)