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The '''false killer whale''' ('''''Pseudorca crassidens''''') is a species of [[oceanic dolphin]] that is the only extant representative of the genus ''[[Pseudorca]]''. It is found in oceans worldwide but mainly in tropical regions. It was first [[species description|described]] in 1846 as a species of [[porpoise]] based on a skull, which was revised when the first carcasses were observed in 1861. The name "false killer whale" comes from having a skull similar to the [[orca]] or killer whale (''Orcinus orca''). |
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The '''false killer whale''' ('''''Pseudorca crassidens''''') is a species of [[oceanic dolphin]] that is the only extant representative of the genus ''[[Pseudorca]]''. It is found in oceans worldwide but mainly in tropical regions. It was first [[species description|described]] in 1846 as a species of [[porpoise]] based on a skull, which was revised when the first carcasses were observed in 1861. The name "false killer whale" comes from having a skull similar to the [[orca]] or killer whale (''Orcinus orca''). |
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The false killer whale reaches a maximum length of {{convert|6.3|m|ft|abbr=on}}, though size can vary around the world. It is highly sociable, known to form pods of up to 50 members, and can also form pods with other dolphin species, such as the [[common bottlenose dolphin]] (''Tursiops truncatus''). It can form close bonds with other species, as well as have sexual interactions with them.[{{Cite web |date=2015-09-22 |title=Hybrids, subspecies and extinction |url=https://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/latest-news-2/hybrids-subspecies-and-extinction/ |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=Sea Watch Foundation |language=en-US}}] But the false killer whale has also been known to eat other dolphins, though it typically eats squid and fish. It is a deep-diver; maximum known depth is {{convert|927.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}; maximum speed is around {{convert|29|kph|mph|abbr=on}}. |
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The false killer whale reaches a maximum length of {{convert|6|m|ft|abbr=on}}, though size can vary around the world. It is highly sociable, known to form pods of up to 50 members, and can also form pods with other dolphin species, such as the [[common bottlenose dolphin]] (''Tursiops truncatus''). It can form close bonds with other species, as well as have sexual interactions with them.[{{Cite web |date=2015-09-22 |title=Hybrids, subspecies and extinction |url=https://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/latest-news-2/hybrids-subspecies-and-extinction/ |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=Sea Watch Foundation |language=en-US}}] But the false killer whale has also been known to eat other dolphins, though it typically eats squid and fish. It is a deep-diver; maximum known depth is {{convert|927.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}; maximum speed is around {{convert|29|kph|mph|abbr=on}}. |
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Several aquariums around the world keep one or more false killer whales, though its aggression toward other dolphins makes it less desirable. It is threatened by fishing operations, as it can entangle in fishing gear. It is [[dolphin drive hunting|drive hunted]] in some Japanese villages. The false killer whale has a tendency to [[Mass stranding|mass-strand]] given its highly social nature; the largest stranding consisted of over 800 beached at [[Mar del Plata]], Argentina, in 1946.[{{Cite web |title=Pseudorca crassidens {{!}} ASCOBANS |url=https://www.ascobans.org/en/species/pseudorca-crassidens |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=www.ascobans.org}}] Most of what is known of this species comes from examining stranded individuals. |
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Several aquariums around the world keep one or more false killer whales, though its aggression toward other dolphins makes it less desirable. It is threatened by fishing operations, as it can entangle in fishing gear. It is [[dolphin drive hunting|drive hunted]] in some Japanese villages. The false killer whale has a tendency to [[Mass stranding|mass-strand]] given its highly social nature; the largest stranding consisted of over 800 beached at [[Mar del Plata]], Argentina, in 1946.[{{Cite web |title=Pseudorca crassidens {{!}} ASCOBANS |url=https://www.ascobans.org/en/species/pseudorca-crassidens |access-date=2025-08-17 |website=www.ascobans.org}}] Most of what is known of this species comes from examining stranded individuals. |
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==Description== |
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==Description== |
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[[File:The False Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens) (http-www.bluekaymahahual.com) - panoramio.jpg|thumb|left|Pod of false killer whales]] |
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[[File:The False Killer Whale (Pseudorca crassidens) (http-www.bluekaymahahual.com) - panoramio.jpg|thumb|left|Pod of false killer whales]] |
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False killer whales are large marine predators. They are the fourth-largest extant species of [[oceanic dolphin]], exceeded in size only by the [[orca]] and the two species of [[pilot whale]]s. Males are about 10–15 % larger than females:[{{cite book |last1=Foley |first1=Charles |last2=Foley |first2=Lara |last3=Lobora |first3=Alex |last4=Luca |first4=Daniela De |last5=Msuha |first5=Maurus |last6=Davenport |first6=Tim R. B. |last7=Durant |first7=Sarah M. |title=A Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Tanzania |date=8 June 2014 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-5280-2 |page=252 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dt6QAwAAQBAJ |language=en}}] females reach a maximum size of {{cvt|5|m|ft}} in length and {{cvt|1200|kg|lb}} in weight, and males {{cvt|6|m|ft}} long and {{cvt|2300|kg|lb}}. The largest recorded individual was about {{cvt|6.4|m|ft|}} and {{cvt|2500|kg|lb}}. [false Ecological Analysis of Orcas, p. 44][{{cite web |title=False killer whale |url=https://uk.whales.org/whales-dolphins/species-guide/false-killer-whale/ |website=Whale & Dolphin Conservation UK}}] Newborns can be {{cvt|1.5|-|2.1|m|ft|0}} long.[{{Cite web| title = False killer whale (''Pseudorca crassidens'')| publisher = Marine Species Identification Portal| url = http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=marine_mammals&id=101| access-date = 26 January 2013| archive-date = 30 June 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180630052823/http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=marine_mammals&id=101}}] Coloration is black or dark gray, slightly lighter on the underside. The body is slender with an elongated, tapered head without a beak. The dorsal fin is sickle-shaped; the flippers are narrow, short, and pointed, with a distinctive bulge on the [[leading edge]] of the flipper.[ Body temperature ranges from {{convert|36|–|37.2|C|F}}, increasing during activity.][ The teeth are conical; there are 14–21 in the upper jaw and 16–24 in the lower.] |
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False killer whales are large marine predators. They are the fourth-largest extant species of [[oceanic dolphin]], exceeded in size only by the [[orca]] and the two species of [[pilot whale]]s. Males are about 10–15 % larger than females:[{{cite book |last1=Foley |first1=Charles |last2=Foley |first2=Lara |last3=Lobora |first3=Alex |last4=Luca |first4=Daniela De |last5=Msuha |first5=Maurus |last6=Davenport |first6=Tim R. B. |last7=Durant |first7=Sarah M. |title=A Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Tanzania |date=8 June 2014 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-1-4008-5280-2 |page=252 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dt6QAwAAQBAJ |language=en}}] females reach a maximum size of {{cvt|5|m|ft}} in length and {{cvt|1200|kg|lb}} in weight, and males {{cvt|6|m|ft}} long and {{cvt|2300|kg|lb}}.[{{cite web |title=False killer whale |url=https://uk.whales.org/whales-dolphins/species-guide/false-killer-whale/ |website=Whale & Dolphin Conservation UK}}] Newborns can be {{cvt|1.5|-|2.1|m|ft|0}} long.[{{Cite web| title = False killer whale (''Pseudorca crassidens'')| publisher = Marine Species Identification Portal| url = http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=marine_mammals&id=101| access-date = 26 January 2013| archive-date = 30 June 2018| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20180630052823/http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=marine_mammals&id=101}}] Coloration is black or dark gray, slightly lighter on the underside. The body is slender with an elongated, tapered head without a beak. The dorsal fin is sickle-shaped; the flippers are narrow, short, and pointed, with a distinctive bulge on the [[leading edge]] of the flipper.[ Body temperature ranges from {{convert|36|–|37.2|C|F}}, increasing during activity.][ The teeth are conical; there are 14–21 in the upper jaw and 16–24 in the lower.] |
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A false killer whale reaches physical maturity at 8 to 14 years; maximum age in captivity is 57 years for males and 62 for females. Sexual maturity happens at 8 to 11 years. In one population, calving was at 7-year intervals; calving can occur year-round, though it usually occurs in late winter. Gestation takes ~15 months;[ [[lactation]], 9 months to 2 years.][{{cite journal|first1=L.|last1=Riccialdelli|first2=R. N. P.|last2=Goodall|year=2015|title=Intra-specific trophic variation in false killer whales (''Pseudorca crassidens'') from the southwestern South Atlantic Ocean through stable isotopes analysis|journal=Mammalian Biology |volume=80 |issue=4 |pages=298–302 |doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2015.01.003 |bibcode=2015MamBi..80..298R |hdl=11336/5439|hdl-access=free}}] The false killer and [[pilot whale]]s have a sizable lifespan after [[menopause]], which typically occurs between 45 and 55.[{{cite journal|first1=T.|last1=Photopoulou|first2=I. M.|last2=Ferreira|first3=P. B. |last3=Best|first4=T.|last4=Kasuya|first5=H.|last5=Marsh|year=2017|title=Evidence for a postreproductive phase in female false killer whales ''Pseudorca crassidens''|journal=Frontiers in Zoology|volume=14|issue=30|page=30|doi=10.1186/s12983-017-0208-y|pmid=28649267|pmc=5479012|arxiv=1606.04519 |doi-access=free }}] As a [[toothed whale]], a false killer can [[Animal echolocation|echolocate]] to navigate and find prey, using its [[melon (cetacean)|melon organ]] in the forehead to create sound.[{{cite journal|first1=W. W. L.|last1=Au|first2=J. L.|last2=Pawloski|first3=P. E.|last3=Nachtigall|year=1995|title=Echolocation signals and transmission beam pattern of a false killer whale (''Pseudorca crassidens'')|journal=Journal of the Acoustical Society of America|volume=98|issue=51|pages=51–59|doi=10.1121/1.413643|pmid=7608405|bibcode=1995ASAJ...98...51A}}][{{Cite journal |last=Marlee |first=Breese |date=2012 |title=Echolocation beam focusing in the false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) |journal=Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |volume=6 |doi=10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00161 |issn=1662-5153|doi-access=free }}][{{Cite journal |last1=Kloepper |first1=Laura |last2=Nachtigall |first2=Paul |last3=Donahe |first3=Megan |last4=Breese |first4=Marlee |date=April 15, 2012 |title=Active echolocation beam focusing in the false killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens |journal=Journal of Experimental Biology |volume=215 |issue=8 |pages=1306–1312|doi=10.1242/jeb.066605 |pmid=22442368 |bibcode=2012JExpB.215.1306K |s2cid=207170104 |doi-access=free }}] The melon is larger in males than in females. |
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A false killer whale reaches physical maturity at 8 to 14 years; maximum age in captivity is 57 years for males and 62 for females. Sexual maturity happens at 8 to 11 years. In one population, calving was at 7-year intervals; calving can occur year-round, though it usually occurs in late winter. Gestation takes ~15 months;[ [[lactation]], 9 months to 2 years.][{{cite journal|first1=L.|last1=Riccialdelli|first2=R. N. P.|last2=Goodall|year=2015|title=Intra-specific trophic variation in false killer whales (''Pseudorca crassidens'') from the southwestern South Atlantic Ocean through stable isotopes analysis|journal=Mammalian Biology |volume=80 |issue=4 |pages=298–302 |doi=10.1016/j.mambio.2015.01.003 |bibcode=2015MamBi..80..298R |hdl=11336/5439|hdl-access=free}}] The false killer and [[pilot whale]]s have a sizable lifespan after [[menopause]], which typically occurs between 45 and 55.[{{cite journal|first1=T.|last1=Photopoulou|first2=I. M.|last2=Ferreira|first3=P. B. |last3=Best|first4=T.|last4=Kasuya|first5=H.|last5=Marsh|year=2017|title=Evidence for a postreproductive phase in female false killer whales ''Pseudorca crassidens''|journal=Frontiers in Zoology|volume=14|issue=30|page=30|doi=10.1186/s12983-017-0208-y|pmid=28649267|pmc=5479012|arxiv=1606.04519 |doi-access=free }}] As a [[toothed whale]], a false killer can [[Animal echolocation|echolocate]] to navigate and find prey, using its [[melon (cetacean)|melon organ]] in the forehead to create sound.[{{cite journal|first1=W. W. L.|last1=Au|first2=J. L.|last2=Pawloski|first3=P. E.|last3=Nachtigall|year=1995|title=Echolocation signals and transmission beam pattern of a false killer whale (''Pseudorca crassidens'')|journal=Journal of the Acoustical Society of America|volume=98|issue=51|pages=51–59|doi=10.1121/1.413643|pmid=7608405|bibcode=1995ASAJ...98...51A}}][{{Cite journal |last=Marlee |first=Breese |date=2012 |title=Echolocation beam focusing in the false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) |journal=Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience |volume=6 |doi=10.3389/conf.fnbeh.2012.27.00161 |issn=1662-5153|doi-access=free }}][{{Cite journal |last1=Kloepper |first1=Laura |last2=Nachtigall |first2=Paul |last3=Donahe |first3=Megan |last4=Breese |first4=Marlee |date=April 15, 2012 |title=Active echolocation beam focusing in the false killer whale, Pseudorca crassidens |journal=Journal of Experimental Biology |volume=215 |issue=8 |pages=1306–1312|doi=10.1242/jeb.066605 |pmid=22442368 |bibcode=2012JExpB.215.1306K |s2cid=207170104 |doi-access=free }}] The melon is larger in males than in females. |
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