Knowra Pilot whale Pilot whale A large oceanic dolphin in the genus Globicephala, represented by the long-finned pilot whale and short-finned pilot whale. Pilot whales live in social groups and feed mainly on squid.
Oceanic dolphin : A dolphin that belongs to the family Delphinidae and typically lives in marine waters. Pilot whales belong to this family despite the word “whale” in their common name.
Echolocation : Biological sensing that uses reflected sound to locate objects and estimate their distance or properties. Pilot whales use clicks and returning echoes to detect prey underwater.
Hal Whitehead : A Canadian marine biologist known for research on sperm whales and social structure in cetaceans. His work on cetacean societies provides methods for studying long-lived, socially complex whales.
Risso's dolphin : A large dolphin, Grampus griseus, recognized by its blunt head and heavily scarred adult skin. Its robust build can invite confusion with pilot whales, but it belongs to another genus.
Long-finned pilot whale : A pilot whale species, Globicephala melas, found mainly in temperate and subpolar oceans. It is one of the two living species in the genus.
Deep diving : Diving to depths where pressure, oxygen limits, and breath-holding constrain an animal’s activity. Pilot whales pursue squid on deep dives before returning to the surface to breathe.
Cetacean stranding : The event in which one or more cetaceans become stranded on shore or in shallow water. Pilot whales are among the species most often recorded in mass strandings.
Killer whale : The largest dolphin species, Orcinus orca, with populations that hunt varied prey. Killer whales are also large social dolphins, but have a different body pattern and ecology.
Short-finned pilot whale : A pilot whale species, Globicephala macrorhynchus, found mainly in tropical and temperate oceans. It is the other living species in the genus.
Cetacean vocalization : The sounds cetaceans produce for communication, orientation, and other behaviors. Pilot whales produce calls that help maintain contact within groups.
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