Short-finned Pilot Whale

The short-finned pilot whale is a stocky oceanic dolphin with black to dark grey or brown skin, a thick tail stock, a bulbous head and a broad, sickle-shaped dorsal fin. It is told from the long-finned pilot whale by shorter flippers, fewer teeth and a shorter beak. It can reach 7.2 m and 4,000 kg, making it the third-largest oceanic dolphin after the orca and the long-finned pilot whale (Wikipedia, general species account).

It has a worldwide distribution in coastal and pelagic waters of temperate and tropical seas, including the Indian Ocean. It typically travels in pods of 10–30, usually family, but sometimes in groups of several hundred. It pursues fast-moving squid, typically at about 700 m and down to at least 1,018 m, and a pod may spread out up to 800 m when foraging.