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False Killer Whale
Unknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Dolphins & whales

False Killer Whale

Pseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846)

NT Near Threatened

Names

EnglishFalse Killer Whale
DutchKleine Zwaardwalvis
SpanishFalsa orca
Chinese伪虎鲸
Scientific namePseudorca crassidens (Owen, 1846)

About this species

The false killer whale (Pseudorca crassidens) is a species of oceanic dolphin that is the only extant representative of the genus Pseudorca. It is found in oceans worldwide but mainly in tropical regions. It was first described in 1846 as a species of porpoise based on a skull, which was revised when the first carcasses were observed in 1861. The name "false killer whale" comes from having a skull similar to the orca or killer whale (Orcinus orca).

The false killer whale reaches a maximum length of 6 m (20 ft), though size can vary around the world. It is highly sociable, known to form pods of up to 50 members, and can also form pods with other dolphin species, such as the common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus). It can form close bonds with other species, as well as have sexual interactions with them. But the false killer whale has also been known to eat other dolphins, though it typically eats squid and fish. It is a deep-diver; maximum known depth is 927.5 m (3,043 ft); maximum speed is around 30 km/h (19 mph).

Read more on Wikipedia · Text: Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0

Classification

KingdomAnimalia
PhylumChordata
ClassMammalia
OrderCetacea
FamilyDelphinidae
GenusPseudorca

Related species in Suriname