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| SCIENTIFIC
CLASSIFICATION |
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| COMMON
NAME: |
false
killer whale, pseudorca, blackfish |
| KINGDOM: |
Animalia |
| PHYLUM: |
Chordata |
| CLASS: |
Mammalia |
| ORDER: |
Cetacea |
| SUBORDER: |
Odontoceti |
| FAMILY: |
Delphinidae |
| GENUS
SPECIES: |
Pseudorca ( "false kind of whale") crassidens ("stout tooth") |
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| DESCRIPTION: |
False
killer whales are members of the toothed whale family
Delphinidae, the dolphin family. When seen by humans
from a distance, this whale may look like its close
relative, the killer whale. Up close observers will
notice that false killer whales are more slender
and mostly black in color. A small patch on the
chest area between the flippers varies in color
from gray to white. The flippers are tapered with
a characteristic hump on the leading edge and the
dorsal fin is falcate (curved back) and tall. |
| MALE |
Adult
males typically grow larger than adult female false
killer whales. |
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| SIZE: |
The
longest recorded male was 5.9 m (19 ft.) while the
longest female was 5.1 m (17 ft.).A single calf
is born in the water, usually averaging 1.6 to 2
m (5.3-6.5 ft.) in length. |
| MALE |
Male
false killer whales average 5.3 m (17.6 ft.) in
length |
| FEMALE |
Females
average 4.5 m (15 ft.) in length |
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| WEIGHT: |
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| MALE |
Mature
males may weigh up to 2,200 kg (4,800 lb.) |
| FEMALE |
Adult
females may weigh up to 1,200 kg (2,600 lb.) |
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| DIET: |
False
killer whales prey on a variety of large animals
including cod, yellowtail tuna, and squid. Evidence
suggests that their diet may include other cetaceans:
they have been observed attacking dolphins entangled
in seine nets. |
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| GESTATION: |
Approximately
15-16 months |
| NURSING
DURATION |
18-24
months (wean) |
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| SEXUAL
MATURITY: |
At
lengths of 3.2-3.8 m (10.1-13 ft.) for both males
and females |
| MALE |
16-21
years (males may be sexually mature at an earlier
age, but do not gain significant breeding status
until later in the their lifespan) |
| FEMALE |
8-11
years |
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| LIFE
SPAN: |
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| MALE |
57.5
year maximum (as indicated by research conducted
within Japanese pseudorca populations) |
| FEMALE |
62.5
year maximum (as indicated by research conducted
within Japanese pseudorca populations) |
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| RANGE: |
The
false killer whale is thought to inhabit all tropical,
subtropical, and warm temperate seas. There have
also been sightings reported off the Atlantic coast
of Maryland, north Argentina, and also the northern
coasts of the British Isles. |
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| HABITAT: |
Usually
found in deep, offshore waters |
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| POPULATION: |
GLOBAL |
Unknown |
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| STATUS: |
IUCN |
Listed
as Data Deficient |
| CITES |
Appendix
II |
| USFWS |
Not
listed |
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| 1. |
False
killer whales are highly social and live in groups
called pods, which are cohesive long-term social
units. False killer whale pods can reach numbers
of more than 100 individuals. Occasionally these
animals have been known to mass-strand along beaches.
In 1946, for example, a record-setting 835 individuals
stranded at Mar del Plata, Argentina. |
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| On
December 24, 1993, a false killer whale was born
at SeaWorld Florida. This event marked the first
successful false killer whale birth for the SeaWorld
Adventure Parks as well as the continental United
States.
The
worldwide population of false killer whales is
unknown, but they are not thought to be abundant.
Like other whales, in the United States the Marine
Mammal Protection Act of 1972 protects false killer
whales.
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| |
|
|
|
Jefferson,
T.J. Leatherwood, S. and M.A. Webber. FAO Species
Identification Guide. Marine Mammals of the World.
Rome. FAO, 1993.
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| |
|
Leatherwood, Stephen, and Reeves, Randall R. The
Sierra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins.
San Francisco: Sierra Club Books, 1983. |
| |
|
Nowak, Ronald M. (ed.). Walker's Mammals of
the World. Vol. II. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins
University Press, 1991
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| Parker,
S. (ed.). Grizmek's Encyclopedia of Mammals.
Vol. IV. New York: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co.,
1990. |
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| Perrin,
W.F., Wursig, B., Thewissen, J.G.M. (ed.). Encyclopedia
of Marine Mammals. Academic Press, 2002. |
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| Reeves,
R. R., Stewart, B.S., Clapman, P.J., and J.A. Powell
(Peter Folkens illustrator). National Audubon
Society: Guide to Marine Mammals of the World.
New York: Random House, 2002. |
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| http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu |
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