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Animal Age

How old does a Short-finned pilot whale get? (age expectancy)

What is the maximal age a Short-finned pilot whale reaches?

An adult Short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) usually gets as old as 63 years.

Short-finned pilot whales are around 452 days in the womb of their mother. When born, they weight 3 grams (0.01 lbs) and measure 4.8 cm (0′ 2″). They are a member of the Delphinidae family (genus: Globicephala). Fully grown, they reach a bodylength of 6.1 meter (20′ 1″).

As a reference: Usually, humans get as old as 100 years, with the average being around 75 years. After being carried in the belly of their mother for 280 days (40 weeks), they grow to an average size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) and weight in at 62 kg (137 lbs), which is obviously highly individual.

A Short-finned pilot whale gets as old as 63 years

The short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) is one of the two species of cetaceans in the genus Globicephala, which it shares with the long-finned pilot whale (G. melas). It is part of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae), though its behaviour is closer to that of the larger whales.It has a worldwide distribution, with a global population of about 700,000, and there may be 3 or 4 distinct populations–two in the Pacific, and one in The Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Its range is moving northward due to global warming. In the Pacific, males average 4–6 m (13–20 ft), and females 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft). It generally has a stocky build with black to dark gray/brown skin, and can be distinguished from its counterpart by shorter flippers, fewer teeth, and a shorter beak. They are though to pursue fast-moving squid typically at a depth of 700 m (2,300 ft), but the maximum recorded depth is 1,018 m (3,340 ft).The short-finned pilot whale has been reported as being highly playful and social. It typically travels in pods of 10–30 members, typically family, but has been observed moving in groups of several hundred. Like killer whales, it has a matrilineal social hierarchy with an elder female at the head, and a sizable post-reproductive lifespan. It is polygynous, and females often outnumber males 8:1 in a pod.Pods are known to mass strand, possibly due to sheer accident, geomagnetic anomalies affected biosonar, injury from loud military sonar, or disease. It was historically whaled, and is still whaled today by Japan and the Lesser Antilles, but is protected by several international treaties.

Animals of the same family as a Short-finned pilot whale

Not really brothers and sisters, but from the same biological family (Delphinidae):

Animals that reach the same age as Short-finned pilot whale

With an average age of 63 years, Short-finned pilot whale are in good companionship of the following animals:

Weighting as much as Short-finned pilot whale

A fully grown Short-finned pilot whale reaches around 726 kg (1600.55 lbs). So do these animals:

  • Gayal weighting 800.07 kilos (1763.85 lbs) on average
  • Long-finned pilot whale weighting 800 kilos (1763.7 lbs) on average
  • African buffalo weighting 592.83 kilos (1306.96 lbs) on average
  • Kouprey weighting 788.66 kilos (1738.7 lbs) on average
  • Banteng weighting 631.49 kilos (1392.2 lbs) on average
  • Giant eland weighting 644.51 kilos (1420.9 lbs) on average
  • Cattle weighting 615.82 kilos (1357.65 lbs) on average
  • European bison weighting 674.44 kilos (1486.88 lbs) on average
  • American bison weighting 622.29 kilos (1371.91 lbs) on average

Animals as big as a Short-finned pilot whale

Those animals grow as big as a Short-finned pilot whale: