Pilot Whales

• Pilot whales are primarily squid eaters but will feed on fish as well.
• Pilot whales are notorious for stranding themselves on beaches, and are among the most common cetacean stranders.
• Pilot whales are predominantly dark grey, brown or black dorsally, expect for a grey saddle pitch behind the dorsal fin.
• Their life span is about 45 years in males and 60 years in females for both species. 
• Pilot whales commonly vocalize to keep contact with members of their pod. Vocalizations are more complex with active behavior and simple with less active behavior. Differences have been found in the calls of the two pilot whales species
•  Because of their strong social bonds, whole groups of pilot whales will strand. Single stranders have been recorded and these are usually diseased. Group stranding tends to be of mostly healthy individuals. It is not known what causes these animals to strand but there are different hypotheses. It has been suggested that the animals may get confused or trapped in shallow water, that geomagnetic anomalies may disorient the whales if they are using the earth's magnetic field for navigation or that a sick individual gets stranded and the group follows.
• Pilot whales, mostly short-finned pilot whales, have been kept in captivity.
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