False Killer Whale
Scientific Name : Pseudorca crassidens
- IUCN: Not Applicable
- Other names: Blackfish
- Swahili name: Nyangumi muuaji muongo
- Length: 5-6m
- Weight: 1,200-2,000kg
- Life expectancy: approx. 60 years or more
- Abundance: Offshore tropical and temperate waters around the world
- Occurance: Year-round; in Kenya February
- Primary prey: Various fish (including large fish, such as tuna) and squid
- Conservation status: Unknown, though there are concerns with fishery bycatch in many areas
- Quick key identification: Long slender dark grey/black body, no beak and rounded head. Narrow based and rounded tipped dorsal fin with moderate height. S-shaped or curved flippers. Can be confused with melon-headed whale and pygmy killer whale. Usually 7 to 12 teeth on each side of each jaw (24-48 teeth total).
The False killer whale is the third largest dolphin in the world and ironically does not have genetic relation to the orcas though it does share several morphological similarities. While they can be mistaken fas other species their distinctive hump or “s” shape on the leading edge is a clear indicator of identification. They are also one of the species that has mass-stranded on beaches.
