Common Name: False Killer Whale
General Description: The False Killer Whale (or the Blackfish) is slender and long bodied. Its blunt head is small relative to body size. The tip of the lower jaw is usually well behind the overhanging upper jaw. The dorsal fin is tall and may be rounded at the tip or sharp pointed. It is said to be ‘cucumber shaped’. The small flippers are narrow and pointed and have a broad hump on the front margin near the middle, diagnostic of the species.
The body is all black. There is a blaze of grey on the chest between the flippers, and an area of light grey may be present on the sides of the head. Calves are in general lighter in colour than adults, with a larger pale area on the belly.
Size: Adults, Male animals grow to a length of 6 m and attain a weight of 2 tons, whilst females may be 5.1 m long and weigh 1 ton. Calves at birth, 1.5 m long.
Appearance At Sea: False Killer Whales are gregarious animals. They may also associate with other cetaceans. The tendency of the species, like other ‘blackfish’, to mass-strand has allowed close study of their anatomy and other aspects of their biology.
They are very social and are often seen bow riding. After leaving the bow they can often be seen leaping in the wake of the ship. This kind of behaviour in a whale of its size makes it very easy to identify the species.
The schools of False Killer Whales are usually large but these are generally subdivided into coordinated family groups of 4-6 individuals. They blow once every 15-20 seconds. When they breathe, they rise exposing the back, fin, part of the flank and all of the head, often with their mouths open so that the large white teeth are visible.
False Killers groups make audible, drawn-out, high-pitched sounds that can be heard above water. This allows them to be detected at distances of 200 m, sometimes above the sound of outboard engines.
Off Japan and Hawaii, they have been known to take tuna from fishing lines and nets. They are also capable of damaging nets extensively.
Found In: False Killers are known to be oceanic animals, not commonly seen near land, except where deep water is close by. They feed partly on squid. Their large teeth and a wide gape also make it possible for them to catch sizable fish like bonito, tuna and mahi-mahi.
Records from India: The records from India include strandings, catches and sightings.
Date : 14 February 1901
Details : One stranded on beach near Trivandrum.
References : Ferguson, 1903
Date : After February 1902
Details : Two immature specimens measuring 3.5 and 3.2 m (11 feet 10 inches and 10 feet 9.5 inches) recorded at Trivandrum.
References : Pillay, 1926
Date : After February 1902
Details : Adult specimens recorded at Rajakamangalum and Tengapatam.
References : Pillay, 1926
Date : [?]
Details : Recorded by Pearson south of India.
References : De Silva, 1987
Date : 27 November 1960
Details : Two specimens stranded at Pozhikara, 60 km south of Trivandrum
References : Silas & Kumara Pillay, 1960
Date : 28 July 1975
Details : One specimen stranded at Puthiappa, 5 km north of Calicut.
References : Lal Mohan et al., 1984; De Silva, 1987
Date : 18 October 1975
Details : One male stranded at Rameswaram.
References : Thiagarajan et al., 1984
Date : 27 July 1976
Details : Two false killers entangled in gillnets off Madhuban, Port Blair; one escaped.
References : Sivaprakasam, 1980; James, 1984
Date : 27 July 1976
Details : Two false killers entangled in gillnets off Madhuban, Port Blair; one escaped.
References : Sivaprakasam, 1980; James, 1984
Date : 9 June 1977
Details : False killer caught in gillnet off Port Blair.
References : Sivaprakasam, 1980
Date : August 1978
Details : Specimen from Gulf of Cambay, Maharashtra in Institute of Science, Navsari.
References : De Silva, 1987
Date : 1978
Details : One caught in gillnet off the Calicut coast.
References : Lal Mohan, 1985
Date : July 1979
Details : One landed at Puthiappa beach, Calicut.
References : James & Lal Mohan, 1987
Date : 1982–1984
Details : One male caught off Calicut.
References : James & Lal Mohan, 1987
Date : 12 November 1980
Details : A few sightings off the coast of India.
References : Alling, 1986
Date : 4 April 1988
Details : Four whales seen swimming in Mandapam Bay, Palk Bay side, were possibly this species.
References : Anonymous, 1988b
Date : 5 July 1988
Details : Two whales seen off Mandapam on the Palk Bay side identified tentatively as this species.
References : Vedavysya Rao et al., 1989
Date : 6 August 1992
Details : Immature female brought to shore at Veerapandianpatnam, Gulf of Mannar, caught in drift gillnet.
References : Mohamad Kasim al., 1993
Date : 1993 [?]
Details : One female specimen caught in gillnet off the Calicut coast.
References : Lal Mohan, 1995
False Killers have been recorded in Pakistan, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Gulf. There are sight records from Djibouti and the Horn of Africa. The species is taken as a bycatch in Sri Lanka, where there have been two instances of mass strandings – one involving 167 animals in 1929 and the other of 97 in 1934.
World Distribution: Found around the world in tropical and warm temperate waters. Occasionally recorded in northern temperate waters.
Could Be Confused With: When the sightings are fleeting there is a possibility of confusion with the Pygmy Killer Whale Feresa attenuata, Shortfin Pilot Whale.
Globicephala melaena, Great Killer Whale Orcinus orca and the Melon-headed Whale Peponocephala electra. They are all dark, with prominent fins and lack beaks. However they can be distinguished as follows:
Species : False Killer Whale
Length : More than 4m long
Head : Narrow, tapered head
Fin : High curved fin
Flippers : Long pointed flippers with elbow
Markings : No markings visible
Species : Pygmy Killer Whale
Length : More than 4m long
Head : Square, bulbous head
Fin : Broad-based fin
Flippers : Long pointed flipper with elbow
Markings : White visible on throat
Species : Shortfin Pilot Whale
Length : More than 4 m long
Head : Square, bulbous head
Fin : Broad-based fin
Flippers : Long pointed flipper with elbow
Markings : White visible on throat
Species : Great Killer Whale
Length : More than 4m long
Head : Very high fin
Fin : Oval paddle-shaped flippers
Flippers : Short beak, clearly marked off from melon
Markings : Bright white spot near eye and white flank patch
Species : Melon-Headed Whale
Length : Less than 4m long
Head : Very pointed head
Fin : Simple curved fin
Flippers : Short pointed flippers
Markings : White goatee marking on chin
Diagnostic Features: At sea, Blunt head, high, curved fin, small, narrow and pointed flippers.
Stranded Specimens:There are 8 to 11 pairs of large, conspicuous teeth of circular cross-section in each jaw, which are also often visible in the open mouths of free-ranging animals.
The flippers have a broad hump on the front margin near the middle, which is diagnostic of the species.
