Cook Islands Biodiversity & Natural Heritage
 

Pseudorca crassidens

False Killer-Whale

Multimedia & Additional Resources

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Open this image in pop-up window Image: Underwater (Suwarrow) 32KB
Open this image in pop-up window Image: Juveniles (Suwarrow) 25KB
Play this file in Windows Media Player Video: at Suwarrow, © G.Wragg 668KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: False Killer-Whale

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical and temperate; n. to Bristish Isles; s. to NZ.

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; S.Group ?; N.Group - Suwarrow (so far); Marine, pelagic, off-shore

KEY FEATURES: Medium-size, slender whale to 6m; newborn to 1.5-2m. COLOUR uniformly dark grey to black with variable grey to greyish-white W-shaped patch on throat and chest; young grey to light grey. HEAD slender tapering to rounded snout, mouth long and straight. FLIPPER short, curved, leading edge with long central hump and out-turned tip (=slight but distinct S-shape), tip sharp. DORSAL FIN at mid-body, tall (~50% body depth), erect, tip rounded or pointed, hide-edge concave. TAIL relatively small, central notch, tips pointed. BEHAVIOUR fast and acrobatic. Approaches boats - bow-rides and wake-rides. Often lifts head out of water, and often breaches and falls back into the water on its side. Well known for mass strandings.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Short-finned Pilot Whale has melon head in older animals (vs. gently tapering head), mouth sharply ascending (vs. slightly ascending), Dorsal Fin high and dolphinlike (vs. low); Dorsal Fin totally forward of midpoint (vs. at midbody); Flipper front edge gently curving (vs central hump and out-turned tip')

Enlarged Image of 'Pseudorca crassidens'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present?    Makatea:
RR 
MG
AT
MK
MT
AK
PL
TK
MN

Northern Group: Present
TN 
MH
RK
PK
NS
SW
P

Key to Symbols

Scientific Taxonomy

Pseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CHORDATA; GNATHOSTOMATA (Jawed Vertebrates); TETRAPODA; MAMMALIA; THERIA; EUTHERIA; Cetacea; Odontoceti; DELPHINIDAE

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Suwarrow: fieldspecimens+photo, near Suwarrow, 6/2005, Marcus Gleinig on 'Bountry Bay', ID from photo Nan Hauser as Pseudorca crassidens 6/2005.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB05a, zM05b

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org. Copy citation to system clipboard
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