PILOT WHALE

also called Blackfish, or Caa'ing Whale (Globicephala), any of a genus of slender whales belonging to the family Delphinidae, found in all oceans of the world except the Arctic and Antarctic. One to three species, all more or less similar, are recognized, depending on the authority. They are G. melaena, G. macrorhyncha, and G. scammoni. The pilot whale is also known as caa'ing whale because of a roaring sound it makes when stranded. It is black, usually with a lighter splash on the throat and chest, and has a round, bulging forehead; a short, beaklike snout; and slender, pointed flippers. Its length is usually about 4 to 6 m (13 to 20 feet); males are larger than females. The pilot whale is highly gregarious and lives in schools, sometimes of hundreds or thousands of individuals. It feeds mainly on squid. In some areas it is hunted for meat and oil. In the Faroe Islands pilot whales are captured in schools, the hunters frightening and driving them ashore. Pilot whales have been kept in oceanariums and have been trained to perform.