Pilot whales are protected under the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1972. Their population size is currently unknown. Pilot whales also have hair at some stage of their life cycle. Pilot whales are so named for their habit of swimming with one lead animal ahead of the rest of the pod. Nicknames include pothead, blackfish, and bagfin.
Pilot whales have conical teeth that are used for seizing prey, which are swallowed whole.
Click here to view a short video clip. Pilot whales, like all cetaceans, have lost their sense of smell. While echolocating, whales produce clicking sounds that bounce back and provide information about the surroundings. Pilot whales were hunted for many centuries for their valuable oil. There are accounts from the 1700s and 1800s of hundreds of these animals being driven ashore for taking.