Short-finned Pilot Whale

The short-finned pilot whale is a robust, toothed cetacean with a black body and gray-white throat and chest markings shaped like an elongated anchor. A gray saddle surrounds the dorsal fin, while the head has a strongly bulging melon, a short beak-like snout, and slender pointed flippers. The flippers are noticeably shorter than those of the closely resembling long-finned pilot whale. Adults average 4–6 m in length and approximately 2,200 kg, with males growing larger than females. (Animal Diversity Web)

This pilot whale inhabits tropical and subtropical portions of the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian oceans, using deep open water near continental shelves as well as coastal areas. It is nomadic, highly social, and mainly active at night. Females remain in kin-based pods, whereas mature males move between groups. The whales follow cephalopod concentrations and return to productive squid-spawning locations. Squid and other cephalopods form the main diet, supplemented by small fish. Foraging dives around dawn and dusk may exceed 600 m. (Animal Diversity Web)