Pseudorca crassidens
False Killer Whale [+]

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Pseudorca
species: Pseudorca crassidens
+ITIS +WoRMS +Conservation Status

Description & Behavior

The false killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846), receives its name for its resemblance to Orcinus orca. "Pseudes" in Greek means false. Like its namesake, it is a dolphin, not a whale. Adults measure between 4.3-6 m and weigh a maximum of 1,360 kg. The longest adult male on record measured 6 m long, and the longest female on record measured 5 m. They are mostly black on the dorsal surface, fins, flanks, and flippers, with lighter coloring on the ventral surface. The flippers are somewhat unusual in that they feature an "elbow" similar to that of the long-finned pilot whale.

The false killer whale

The false killer whale is a very gregarious species often found in large groups of hundreds or more. They also join other cetacean species, commonly bottlenose dolphins. Their long lumbar vertebrae enable them to be active swimmers, and they are known for their speed and agility as well as for their breaching behavior.
False killer whales use sounds similar to those of dolphins for sonar and to communicate with each other.

The average life span is estimated at 58 years for males and 62 years for females.

World Range & Habitat

The false killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens, is a wide-ranging species found in all tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate seas. They are known to inhabit waters ranging in temperature from 9-31°C, although they prefer the warmer waters. Little is known about the migratory patterns of false killer whales, and no data exist at this time for population figures.

» GBIF occurrence data in Google Earth [Requirements | Tips] | Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) [World Map] | [about]

Feeding Behavior (Ecology)

False killer whales, Pseudorca crassidens, feed on squid and fish. They feed both during the day and at night consuming up to 5% of their body weight each day.

Life History

Female false killer whales, Pseudorca crassidens, reach sexual maturity around 10 years, males much later at 18 years. Females ovulate once annually giving birth to a single calf following a 15-month gestation period.

Comments

False killer whales, Pseudorca crassidens, are not hunted commercially. They are caught as bycatch, particularly off the coast of Hawaii where long-line fishing for tuna and swordfish is common. It is thought that the small Hawaiian population, estimated at 83 false killer whales, may be genetically extinct, meaning that there are so few left that they are becoming genetically similar, which causes genetic defects which will eventually lead to their total extinction.

References & Further Research

BioOne ~ CITES ~ Discover Life ~ GBIF ~ Google Scholar ~ ITIS ~ IUCN RedList ~ MarineBio Network ~ NCBI ~ SCIRIS ~ SIRIS ~ Tree of Life Web Project ~ Wikipedia

Jefferson, T.A., S. Leatherwood, and M.A. Webber, FAO species identification guide, Marine mammals of the world, Rome, FAO. 1993. 320 p. 587 figs.

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Citation: Pseudorca crassidens, False Killer Whale - MarineBio.org. Retrieved , from .

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Pseudorca crassidens False Killer Whale [+]