False Killer Whale

False killer whales or Pseudorca crassidens belong to the order Cetacea and are actually members of the dolphin family, Delphinidae. An in-depth study of this species has not been carried out by scientists; thus the information about them is limited. The information available has been gathered by studying the stranded false killer whales. False killer whales are also known as pseudorca or blackfish. Pseudorca crassidens, the scientific name of the false killer whale comes from the Greek word 'Pseud' meaning false and the Latin word 'orca' meaning 'some kind of whale.' Due to its resemblance to the killer whale, it is called the false killer whale. Crassidens is formed from two Latin words called 'crassus' and 'dens' which means 'stout' and 'tooth' respectively. The scientific classification of this animal is as follows:

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetacea
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Pseudorca
Species: crassidens

Appearance of a False Killer Whale
False killer whales are mostly black in color with some gray-white regions on the head and chest. Their bodies are long and slender with a conical head, narrow foreheads and no beak. Their dorsal fin is tall, falcate (curved backwards) and is situated midway down the animal's back. The pectoral fins or flippers feature a distinctive hump midway down the front edge or leading edge. The flippers look like an elbow just like how it is in a long-finned pilot whale. The average length of a male false killer whale is 17.6 feet and that of a female is 15 feet. The longest male recorded was 20 feet long. They use sounds like those of dolphins for sonars to communicate among themselves.

False Killer Whale is not a Whale
False killer whale is actually a member of the toothed whale family, Delphinidae, that is the dolphin family, and is not a whale. Its appearance and resemblance to whales deceives people into thinking that it's a whale. When observed from a distance these animals look exactly like killer whales, however, when observed closely these are more slender and black in color as compared to killer whales. However, it's not only the appearance that makes these marine animals similar to whales. This species, just like killer whales, hunts its prey by a technique called herding, wherein a large group of false killer whales encircle the prey and pounce on it all at once.

Distribution and Habitat
Pseudorca crassidens is found in all tropical, sub-tropical and warm temperate waters. They occur in the United States in Hawaii as well as the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and the Indian Ocean. They are also found in the Red and Mediterranean seas and are seen to prefer areas of deep water in the open ocean. However, surprisingly they are found mass stranding at the beaches. There is no information regarding the migratory patterns of this species and data regarding the population figures is also not available. Their total population is unknown, however, the eastern Pacific is estimated to house over 40,000 individuals.

Feeding Behavior
The diet of this marine animal comprises a variety of fauna such as squid, cephalopods and a large variety of fish. They are also known to attack smaller dolphins and whales and are notorious for attacking the 30 kg yellowfin tuna from longline fishing operations. They feed during the day as well as night and consume 5% of their body weight each day. These species are known to hunt their prey by a process called herding and thus are efficient pack hunters.

Sexual Maturity and Breeding
Their reproductive habits are not known, however, it is believed that their breeding season lasts for several months. The male false killer whales reach sexual maturity at 18 years, while the females reach sexual maturity at 10 years. The reproduction rates are low with a period of approximately seven years as the calving interval. Thus they rely on high survival rates to balance their population ratios. The female false killer whales ovulate once annually; after a gestation period ranging from 14 - 16 months, the female gives birth to one calf. Lactation occurs for 1 - 2 years.

False Killer Whales are Social Animals
An interesting fact about false killer whales is that they are gregarious and are observed to form strong social bonds. They form groups comprising 40 and even 100 individuals. These groups are called 'pods'. They travel in large bands over long distances in the ocean in search of prey. They are even seen to mass strand on the beaches. On January 11, 1970, around 175 - 200 false killer whales beached themselves in Florida, and refused to move back into the sea. The result was sad as all of them died on the beach. Volunteers tried to coax them into going back but with no avail. The reason for this strange behavior is still unknown.

These marine animals are not hunted commercially, however they are caught as bycatch off the coast, where long-line fishing for fish like tuna and swordfish are carried out. They are hunted in Indonesia and West Indies, though not extensively. The beaching behavior of this species is peculiar and intriguing. Let's hope that scientists are able to decipher this mystery!