by: Nicole Le Boeuf
The word feres is French for "dolphin", and the word attenuatus is Latin for "drawn out, tapered, or thin". This species is one of several toothed-whales that are referred to by fishermen as "blackfish". The common name refers to its similar appearance to false killer whales and true killer whales.
This animal's body is moderately slender with a rounded head and no beak. It's coloration is dark gray or brown to black on the back or cape region. There is also gray to white on the lips, chin, snout, and genital area. Their flippers are somewhat rounded at the tips which is one way to distinguish them from other blackfish. False killer whales have a large, falcate dorsal fin midway down the back.
At birth, this species is approximately 80 cm long with adults reaching up to 2.7 m. Maximum weight has been recorded at 225 kg. with males being slightly larger than females.
These animals can be found in tropical and subtropical pelagic waters worldwide including the Mediterranean Sea, Indian Ocean, and the Southeastern Atlantic Ocean.
They are often seen traveling in groups of 50 or less, but have been seen in aggregations of up to several hundred animals. They are sometimes held in captivity where they exhibit aggressive behavior to other captive of their natural predatory behavior toward other dolphin species in the wild. Although they primarily feed on fish and squid.
Some members of this species have been involved in drive fisheries in Japan and Sri Lanka. They may also be taken in the Eastern Tropical Pacific's tuna purse seine fishery. However, no documented exploitation occurs in Africa waters.
Insufficiently known.
Ross G J B. Leatherwood S. Pygmy killer whale Feresa attenuata Gray, 1874. Ridgway, S. H. and R. Harrison (Ed.). Handbook of Marine Mammals, Vol. 5. The first book of dolphins. xx+416p. Academic Press, Ltd.: London, England, UK; San Diego, California, USA. ISBN 0-12-588505-9. 1994. 387-404.
Wade P R. Gerrodette T. Estimates of cetacean abundance and distribution in the eastern tropical Pacific. Report of the International Whaling Commission (43). 1993. 477-493.
Marine Mammal Stranding Center
Ross, G.J.B. 1979. Records of pygmy and dwarf sperm whales, genus Kogia, from Southern Africa, with biological notes and some comparisons. Animals of the Cape Provincial Museums (natural history), Volume 11, Part 14.
Jefferson, T.A. Leatherwood, S. and M.A. Webber. 1994. FAO Species Identification Guide, Marine Mammals of the World. FAO of the United Nations, Rome.
Leatherwood, S. and R.R. Reeves. 1987. The Sierra Club Handbook of Whales and Dolphins. Sierra Club Books, San Fransisco.
URL for this page: http://csiwhalesalive.org/csipygmykiller.html