page_title: Pilot whale
section_title: Foraging and parasites
hierarchical_section_title: Pilot whale / Behavior and life history / Foraging and parasites
caption_attribution_description: Français&#160;: Groupe de globicéphale noir près de l'île du Cap-Breton
context_page_description: Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus Globicephala. The two extant species are the long-finned pilot whale and the short-finned pilot whale. The two are not readily distinguishable at sea, and analysis of the skulls is the best way to distinguish between the species. Between the two species, they range nearly worldwide, with long-finned pilot whales living in colder waters and short-finned pilot whales living in tropical and subtropical waters. Pilot whales are among the largest of the oceanic dolphins, exceeded in size only by the killer whale. They and other large members of the dolphin family are also known as blackfish. In Newfoundland they are also referred to as squid hounds since they chase and eat squid.
  Pilot whales feed primarily on squid, but will also hunt large demersal fish such as cod and turbot. They are highly social and may remain with their birth pod throughout their lifetime. Short-finned pilot whales are one of the few mammal species in which females go through menopause, and postreproductive females continue to contribute to their pod.
context_section_description: Although pilot whales are not known to have many predators, possible threats come from humans and killer whales. 
  Both species eat primarily squid. The whales make seasonal inshore and offshore movements in response to the dispersal of their prey. Fish that are consumed include Atlantic cod, Greenland turbot, Atlantic mackerel, Atlantic herring, hake, and spiny dogfish in the northwest Atlantic. In the Faroe Islands, whales mostly eat squid, but will also eat fish species such as greater argentine and blue whiting. However, Faroe whales do not seem to feed on cod, herring, or mackerel even when they are abundant.
  Pilot whales generally take several breaths before diving for a few minutes. Feeding dives may last over ten minutes. They are capable of diving to depths of 600 meters, but most dives are to a depth of 30–60 m. Shallow dives tend to take place during the day, while deeper ones take place at night. When making deep dives, pilot whales often make fast sprints to catch fast-moving prey such as squid. Compared to sperm whales and beaked whales, foraging short-finned pilot whales are more energetic at the same depth. When they reach the end of their dives, pilot whales will sprint, possibly to catch prey, and then make a few buzzes. This is unusual considering deep-diving, breath-holding animals would be expected to swim slowly to conserve oxygen. The animal's high metabolism possibly allows it to sprint at deep depths, which would also give it shorter diving periods than some other marine mammals. This may also be the case for long-finned pilot whales.
  Pilot whales are often infested with whale lice, cestodes, and nematodes. They also can be hosts to various pathogenic bacteria and viruses, such as Streptococcus, Pseudomonas, Escherichia, Staphylococcus, and influenza.  One sample of Newfoundland pilot whales found the most common illness was an upper respiratory tract infection.
caption: Pilot whales near Cape Breton Island
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