A Pilot Whale is a member of the genus Globicephala. The genus contains two species - the Long-finned Pilot Whale and the Short-finned Pilot Whale. The two species are not readily distinguished at sea and are typically just known simply as Pilot Whales. The genus is a member of the Delphinidae family and so are formally classified as dolphins although their behaviour is closer to that of the larger whales. They are amongst the common and widely-distributed of the marine mammals in the cetacean order.
References
- National Audobon Society Guide to Marine Mammals of the World ISBN 0375411410
- Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals ISBN 0125513402
- Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises, Mark Carwardine, ISBN 0751327816
