short-finned pilot whales may be confused with Atlantic pilot 

 whales. The two species may be distinguished by differences 

 itemized on p. 93. 



Distribution 



Though short- finned pilot whales are known from 

 Delaware Bay, their normal range appears to extend from 

 Bermuda and Cape Hatteras (Virginia in summer) south 

 to the Venezuelan coast. They have been reported for 

 the Gulf of Mexico, the Caribbean, and the islands of the 

 West Indies. 



Stranded Specimens 



Stranded short finned pilot whales may be confused with 

 any of the species itemized under living animals. They may be 

 identified as pilot whales primarily by the robust body and 

 bulbous head, often squarish in adult animals, and the 

 broad-based, falcate dorsal fin located well forward on the 



animal's back. Accurate determination of the pilot whale 

 species involved may require museum preparation of the 

 skull and detailed examination of its characteristics. 

 Preliminary identification may be made, however, on the 

 basis of the following: 



Atlantic Pilot Whale 



Short-Finned Pilot Whale 



DISTRIBUTION 



Primarily North Carolina Primarily Norih Carolina 

 north. south. 



FLIPPERS 



To one-fifth body length, or To less than one sixth body 

 more. length. 



8-11 per row. 



TEETH 



7-9 per row. 





-iZ *^?:^^, 



Figure 101 . — Short-finned pilot whales have from 7 to 10 teeth in each side of each jaw. The bulbous forehead of the species is far less pronounced in females 

 and immature males (leftK The head of mature males is extremely "squarish" and may overhang the lower jaw by several inches (right). (Photos from 

 Aquatarium [left] and southeastern Florida by D. K. Caldwell [right].) 



Figure 102. —The flippers of short-finned pilot whales reach 

 only about one-sixth of the body length, while those of the 

 Atlantic pilot whale may be one-fifth the body length or more. 

 Note the length of the flippers of the pilot whale in the 

 background, relative to its overall length. (Photo from South 

 Carolina by J. G. Mead. ) 



95 



