False Killer Whale: The Cetacean You Don’t Know

Looking small in the photos but is actually huge in real life, an average false killer whale can grow up to 6 meters. No doubt why it is the fourth-largest oceanic dolphin in the world. Being large is one thing, having a long lifespan is another thing. A male’s maximum age is 57 years old while the female is 62 years old. If we take a look at the color, it is black or dark gray in color. The absence of the white patches is what differentiates them from killer whales. Its body is slender while the head is elongated and round. As you can probably see, the dorsal fin of this fish is the shape of a sickle while its flippers are narrow and short. Thanks to these fins, diving and swimming at a deeper depth and long distance are not a challenge to them.

This dolphin is very social, and they can form pods of up to 50 members. The interesting part is that they also form pods with other species. Some of the most common ones are the common bottlenose dolphins, melon-headed whales, Pacific white-sided dolphins, pilot whales, and rough-toothed dolphins. Well, the close bonds that they form with other species can also lead to sexual interactions as well, including homosexually. But that is not all, false killer whales also eat other dolphins which is quite bizarre.

Don’t let that bring you to the negative side just yet, they do have good and kind traits in them. A false killer whale responds to distress calls and protects other species from predators if they can. More than that, they also aid in childbirth by helping remove the afterbirth as well. False killer whales are also great mothers, they care and nurse their young for up to 24 months. The young usually remain in the same social group with the mother beyond weaning anyway.

Not different from other oceanic dolphins out there, this one also feeds on fish and squid. Some of their favorite fish include bonito, perch, salmon, yellowfin tuna, and yellowtail. As apex predators, they also target large fish species such as mahi-mahi, tuna, and wahoo. If the opportunity arises, these marine predators will also not hesitate to prey on seals and sea lions. The list does not end there, false killer whales also prey on marine animals of their kind, dolphins and whales.

False killer whales have a wide distribution across the world, living in all oceans, especially tropical and subtropical regions. They do visit coastal waters but they prefer to remain in deeper waters. If you are lucky, you might see them in temperate waters in some regions. Being expert divers, false killer whales actually prefer living in deep waters around 4700 deep. So it is not uncommon for them to dive as deep as 4000 meters, it is just their daily exercise.

Sitting on top of the food chain, false killer whale’s main predators are actually humans. Their population has been decreasing due to entanglement in the fishing gear by fishing operations. The entanglement also comes from them taking fish off hooks, and sometimes they also swallow the hook. This can lead to drowning, loss of circulation to an appendage, or impede its ability to hunt. There are a few countries that hunt them for food or remove them as threats to the fisheries industry. In some Japanese villages, people drive hunt them for meat by herding them together or corral them into nets before killing them. While the reason is still unknown to this day, false killer whales are also frequently involved in annual mass strandings. This strange behavior can wipe out whole schools of hundreds of animals.

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