Seventy-eight long-finned pilot whales, a species of oceanic dolphins, were slaughtered near the capital of Faroe Islands recently.
About Pilot Whales:
Despite their name, pilot whales are one of the largest members of the dolphin family.
They belong to the dolphinfamily Delphinidae.
There are two species of pilot whales:
Short-finned pilot whales(Globicephala macrorhynchus), which are mainly found in tropical and warm-temperate regions.
Long-finned pilot whales (G. melas), which inhabit colder waters.
Features:
They are characterized by a round bulging forehead, a short beaklike snout, and slender pointed flippers.
The short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) and the long-finned pilot whale (G. melas) are similar in appearance except for the pronounced difference in flipper length between the two species.
Both long-finned and short-finned pilot whales are about 4–6 metres (13–20 feet) long.
Males of both species are larger than females.
Both species are black, and some individuals have a pale, elongated anchor-shaped mark adorning the throat and chest.
Pilot whales live in groups numbering from dozens to hundreds.
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