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Animal Size

Short-finned pilot whale size: How big do they get?

How big does a Short-finned pilot whale get? Here is an overview over the average adult age:

A grown Short-finned pilot whale (Globicephala macrorhynchus) reaches an average size of 6.1 meter (20′ 1″).

When born, they have an average size of 0 cm (0′ 0″). Usually, they reach an age of 63 years. A full-grown exemplary reaches roughly 726 kg (1600.55 lbs). The Short-finned pilot whale (genus: Globicephala) is a member of the family Delphinidae.

As a reference: Humans reach an average body size of 1.65m (5′ 5″) while carrying 62 kg (137 lbs). A human woman is pregnant for 280 days (40 weeks) and on average become 75 years old.

The average adult size of a Short-finned pilot whale is (20' 1

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

We found other animals of the Delphinidae family:

Animals with the same size as a Short-finned pilot whale

Not that size really matters, but it makes things comparable. So here are a couple of animals that are as big as Short-finned pilot whale:

Animals with the same life expectancy as a Short-finned pilot whale

Completely different animals, but becoming as old as a Short-finned pilot whale:

Animals with the same weight as a Short-finned pilot whale

As a comparison, here are some other animals that weight as much as the Globicephala macrorhynchus: