PILOT WHALE ─ Even Orcas are Afraid of the Cheetahs of the Deep Sea!

Not long ago, scientists in Iceland saw a gang of killer

whale

s having a great time surfing and communicating carefree out of nowhere, the aquatic chatterbox went silent after a while, the killer

whale

s moved away for a possible avoidance showdown you got. by hand. To them, this is not the typical orca act you would experience from the ruler of the sea, but this rapid change in behavior was due to the arrival of the highest sea level: the troublemaker, the apex predator that could steal the spotlight. ,

even

of the most powerful killer whales, encounter the orca's sworn opponent:

pilot

whales Pilot whales are a notable group of the second largest oceanic dolphins after killer whales.

They belong to the genus globicephala, whose marine setting divides melas between two species of globicephala. Also known as the long-finned flying whale and globicephala macrorhynchus or short-finned flying whale as they glide through the waves, these two species show a striking physical resemblance that makes the distinction between them an aquatic puzzle, so the Scientists examined their skulls. to identify their species, but their habitats tell a different story as they range across the globe, long-finned

pilot

whales find solace in colder waters, while their short-finned counterparts embrace tropical and subtropical expanses, the These animals are called "pilot whales." "attributed because its pods are believed to be "thrown" by a leader, the genus name is a fusion of the Latin word "globus" denoting a spherical object and the Greek "kephale" which translates as "head" its notable presence comes to life in a convincing manner, as they are adorned with a dark gray or ebony body with patches of lighter shades resembling a gray saddle located just beyond the dorsal fin, marked by a placed dorsal fin forward that tapers backwards, the pilot whale stands more erect than most dolphins and has a striking large melon hump that adds to its cold face, its long crescent-shaped fins and peduncles of The tail that flattens at the sides like limbs of the toothed dolphin family, these creatures have 7-9 compact strong teeth in each jaw.

With a dimorphism that shows a marked contrast in size and weight, the long-finned pilot whales. They stand out as heavyweight contenders when juxtaposed with their shortfin counterparts. with an additional meter in terms of weight, they can range between 5,511 and 9,920 pounds in males; On the other hand, adult shortfin pilot whales can reach a body length of up to 24 feet and a maximum load of 8,818 pounds. Known as the "leopards of the

deep

," these enigmatic creatures have perfected an unusual hunting technique during their pursuit: they dive rapidly in a torpedo-like motion that reaches a dizzying speed of 20 mph, and this breakneck pace maintains an astonishing distance of 650 feet.

To achieve this feat, pilot whales generally take a few breaths before diving for a few minutes, unlike sperm whales and beaked whales, when pilot whales stagger they increase energy to the same depth

even

if the end of their life is approaching. immersion. Start running, perhaps to grab your prey, followed by a series of quick bursts. This behavior is not at all common: you would think holding your breath and swimming slowly would be the smart move, but no nature has its own plan here, its turbocharged metabolism. It allows them to run at such crazy depths that these guys can maintain their feeding frenzy for upwards of 10 to 15 minutes even though they can explore depths like 5900 feet, most of their dives are more like being between 100 and 200 feet.

Shallow when the sun is out and

deep

when there are stars, in contrast to this exceptional set of features. Deep blue, these guys feed mainly on squid, but they are not food snobs: they will feast on Atlantic cod, Greenland turbot, Atlantic mackerel, herring, hake, hake and even octopus when they feel like it, and don't be surprised if you see them feeding on other marine mammals. I mean, pilot whales are the bullies of the sea block, no wonder sperm whales, for example, those big flowered giants don't exactly throw them a welcome party, although there's no hard evidence that pilot whales are a real threat. for the sperm whales, but they may scare them.

Just for fun, in August 2016, a gang of about 40 pilot whales dumped a whale: a big blow to a weak and defenseless humpback, but the drama doesn't end there; As mentioned above, these ocean mysteries can even cause killer whales to sweat in nearby locations. the world from Iceland and beyond. Longfin pilots have been caught red-handed chasing and harassing alleged top predator

orcas

, the exact motivation behind this chase remains a mystery, but some suggest it is a competition for prey or an anti-theft tactic. intelligent predator that may be, in any case, the interaction between These two species goes deeper than the eye has seen recently, an adult female from Iceland.

The orca was spotted with a newborn pilot whale accompanying her in a mother-calf formation, leaving scientists baffled. This same orca was later seen mixing with a larger group of pilot whales a year later, it remains a mystery whether this small calf was caught under the orca's wing or flew away. Pilot whales sometimes surprise

orcas

attacks from behind, reinforcing the idea that they are constantly alert and ready to defend themselves even when there is no apparent threat in sight, but what is really surprising in all of these interactions is that Long-finned lead whales have been captured off the southern coast of Australia while imitating the vocalizations of orcas as they search for food, it is believed that this peculiar behavior acts as a deterrent that prevents pods of orcas from getting too close to the territory of pilot whales, perhaps there is a reason why some Icelandic researchers speculate that it is only pilot whales that, ironically, can cause chills in the ocean.

Orca spines In such a grandiose scheme of oceanic competitors, humans tend to be the only predators of pilot whales. "Whale herding": This method involves a fleet of hunters and boats gathering in a semicircle behind a group of pilot whales near the shore and slowly forcing them into a bay where they are eventually cornered and meet their doom after which these marine giants were sought. their bones, their meat, their oil and even their potential as fertilizer, unfortunately pilot whales have also been victims of bycatch in which hunters inadvertently catch these rare creatures. In return, pilot whales will generally show minimal interest in humans, who often keep a calm distance when passing our species.

However, this behavior may not be true in all cases. On May 17, 1992, Lisa Costello and her friend, a cameraman, encountered a pod of pilot whales off the coast of Hawaii while observing these seemingly non-threatening creatures out of nowhere. movie. By her leg and grabbing her by the ankle and pushing her deeper and deeper beneath the surface of the water, she descended, entangled in the claws of this colossal creature. Costaello had no scuba gear, so she was forced to hold her breath throughout the entire ordeal just as her lungs were about to collapse. Breaking the whale brought it back to the surface, surprisingly she only suffered minor injuries, however the incident represents one of the rare disasters involving pilot whales.

Experts speculate that the particular pilot whale Costello found may have been trying to engage in playful behavior rather than being deliberately aggressive. Both species of pilot whales are highly social animals that typically live in groups that vary in size, from from a few individuals to gatherings of more than a thousand, but it is more common to observe groups consisting of 20 to 150 individuals. also known for their superficial antics participating in fun aquatic ballets such as "lobtailing", where they cause a splash by slapping their tail on the water stage and "spying", where they sneak their heads above the water surface beneath whales, pilot whales They are frequently involved in mass strandings which are believed to be a result of their close social bonds.

Although the exact cause of this behavior remains a mystery, several theories have been proposed suggesting that these whales may become disoriented by fluctuations in the magnetic field. of the Earth, especially if they rely heavily on magnetic signals for navigation. Another possibility is that they may follow a sick member of their group who has become stranded. From time to time, groups of them may repeatedly return to the location where they previously experienced a mass stranding event due to their emotional attachment to an important member of their group. cluster. group stranded there before male pilot whales, both long-finned and short-finned species, exhibit assertive courtship behavior characterized by the powerful, high-speed collision of their melons.

These species practice loose polygyny with males typically mating with multiple females, although reverse scenarios sometimes occur during gatherings. Males temporarily leave their prides to mate with females from other groups, improving genetic diversity within their populations. Pilot whales have one of the longest reproductive intervals among whales: approximately one calving every three to five years, the gestation period of a long-finned pilot whale. The pilot whale lasts 12 to 16 months, while short-finned pilot whales have a gestation period of 15 months. In the case of short-finned pilot whales, females reach sexual maturity at nine years of age, while males reach maturity around 13 to 16 years of age.

Age Long-finned pilot whales see females reach maturity at approximately eight years and males at approximately 12 years. Both species have a life expectancy of approximately 45 years for males and 60 for females. As of today, the size of the global pilot whale population remains unknown, but the IUCN Red List recognizes them as "least concern" due to the estimated presence of a sufficient population of lead whales worldwide.