False Killer Whale

ID points

• Entirely black, with a conical head and no beak
• A distinct elbow-like bend in the middle of the pectoral fin
• Dorsal fin set mid-body, with a blunt rounded tip

Basics

Family

Delphinidae

Length

4.0–6.0 m

Depth

0-1000 m

Regions

Indo-Pacific reefs · Caribbean & W. Atlantic · Temperate & polar · Deep sea

Distribution

Deep tropical and temperate waters worldwide

Habitat

Deep offshore waters

Diet

Fish and cephalopods

Easily confused with

OrcaSharply black and white, with a white oval patch behind the eyePilot WhaleBulbous rounded forehead with almost no visible snoutBottlenose DolphinShort thick bottle-shaped snout, with a crease where it meets the forehead

Fun fact

Despite the name it belongs to the dolphin family. It is famous for its generosity, offering the fish it catches to podmates and even to human divers it has never met.

More in this family

• Chinese White Dolphin
• Common Dolphin
• Spinner Dolphin
• Striped Dolphin