Short-finned pilot whale: Where It Lives, Map & Facts

Where the short-finned pilot whale lives – recorded in 20 countries, with quick facts from Wikidata and an introduction from Wikipedia.

Scientific name	Globicephala macrorhynchus
Group	Whales & dolphins
Status	Least concern (Wikidata, IUCN category label)
Found in	20 countries
Continents	Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America
Diet (main food)	Teuthida
Class	Mammal
Order	Artiodactyla
Family	Delphinidae

Where does the short-finned pilot whale live?

Open-licence (CC0 / CC BY) wild records published on GBIF place the short-finned pilot whale in 20 countries and territories across Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania and South America. Wikidata gives its range as: Brazil, Parnaíba.

Countries with at least a handful of records (a minimum share of the species’ records, to leave out vagrants and escapes). Records with coordinates only; captive and fossil records excluded.

What does a short-finned pilot whale eat?

Wikidata lists the main food source of the short-finned pilot whale as: Teuthida.

Is the short-finned pilot whale endangered?

The short-finned pilot whale’s conservation status recorded in Wikidata is “Least concern” (an IUCN Red List category label). Source: Wikidata.

What kind of animal is the short-finned pilot whale?

The short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) is a mammal in the order Artiodactyla and the family Delphinidae, genus Globicephala melas. (Taxonomy from Wikidata.)

About the short-finned pilot whale

The short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) is one of the two species of cetaceans in the genus Globicephala, which it shares with the long-finned pilot whale (G. melas). It is part of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae).

It has a worldwide distribution with a global population of about 700,000, and there may be 3 or 4 distinct populations—two in the Pacific and one in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Its range is moving northward due to global warming. In the Pacific, males average 4–6 m (13–20 ft) and females 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft). It generally has a stocky build with black to dark gray or brown skin, and can be distinguished from its counterpart by shorter flippers, fewer teeth, and a shorter beak. It is thought to pursue fast-moving squid typically at a depth of 700 m (2,300 ft), but the maximum recorded depth is 1,018 m (3,340 ft).

Text in “About” is quoted from the Wikipedia article Short-finned pilot whale (revision 1374823706), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Changes: lead section excerpted verbatim, formatting removed. Quick facts, taxonomy and status: Wikidata Q735210 (CC0). Countries and pin: GBIF.org occurrence records (CC0 / CC BY 4.0).