Everything about The Melon-headed Whale totally explained
The
Melon-headed Whale (
Peponocephala electra; other names are
many-toothed blackfish and
electra dolphin) is a
cetacean of the
oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). It is closely related to the
Pygmy Killer Whale and the
Pilot Whales, and collectively these dolphin species are known by the common name
blackfish. The Melon-headed Whale is widespread throughout the world's tropical waters, although not often seen by humans on account of its preference for deep water.
Taxonomy
On account of its inaccessibility (most scientific data has come from mass strandings), this species is poorly understood. Until 1966 it was classified in the genus
Lagenorhynchus. Scientists then reclassified the creature into its own genus,
Peponocephala.
Description
The Melon-headed Whale has a body shape rather like a torpedo - its head shaped like a rounded cone giving the animal its common name. The body is more or less uniformly light grey except for a dark grey face - sometimes called the "mask". The flippers are long and pointed. The
dorsal fin is tall with a pointed tip - reminiscent of its cousin the
Orca. When viewed in profile the head isn't as rounded as the Pygmy Killer and this may be an aid to identification.
This whale is capable of swimming very quickly, particularly when startled. When doing so it often makes short low jumps clear of the sea surface, causing lots of splash. Melon-heads usually gather in large numbers (at least 100 and possible as many as 1000 on rare occasions) and sometimes strand together.
The Melon-head weighs about 10-15 kilograms (22-33 lb) at birth and is 1 meter (3 ft) long. An adult grows up to 3 meters (10 ft) long and weighs in excess of 200 kilograms (440 lb). The whales' lifespan is at least 20 years and probably more than 30 years for females.
Their primary diet is
squid.
Population and distribution
The Melon-headed Whale lives well off-shore in all the world's tropical and sub-tropical oceans. At the northern fringes of its range it may also be found in the warm currents of temperate waters. For example, there has been the odd sighting off the southern coast of
Ireland. Ordinarily, however, the Melon-head is found beyond the
continental shelf between 20° S and 20° N.
Hawaii and
Cebu, in the
Philippines, are good sites for the seeing the whale as the continental shelf is narrow. Although no specific data exists, the species is unlikely to be migratory in common with animals in its subfamily.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Melon-headed Whale'.
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