Pilot whales are fascinating marine mammals, often observed in close-knit social groups. Their feeding habits significantly influence their survival and role within ocean ecosystems. Understanding what these intelligent creatures consume and how they acquire their prey provides insight into their biology and how these large oceanic dolphins thrive.
Main Food Sources
Pilot whales primarily feed on cephalopods, such as various species of squid and octopus. These soft-bodied invertebrates form the bulk of their diet, indicating a specialized feeding strategy. Their mouths are uniquely adapted for “ram and suck” feeding, efficiently capturing their preferred soft-bodied prey. This dietary specialization is reflected in their dentition, as pilot whales possess fewer teeth than other dolphins that predominantly consume fish.
Beyond cephalopods, pilot whales also supplement their diet with various fish species, including mackerel, hake, herring, cod, and turbot. While fish are a secondary food source, they become more important when squid availability is low. An adult pilot whale can consume a substantial amount of food, typically around 30 pounds (14 kilograms) per day, to meet its energy requirements, driving their foraging behaviors.
Hunting Techniques
Pilot whales are skilled hunters, employing remarkable physiological adaptations and social strategies to secure their food. They are deep divers, capable of plunging to depths over 1,000 meters (3,280 feet) to pursue prey. Short-finned pilot whales are sometimes called “cheetahs of the deep sea” due to their high-speed sprint-dives, allowing them to chase and capture fast-moving squid in the dark ocean depths.
Echolocation plays a central role in their hunting success, especially in dark waters where visual cues are limited. Pilot whales emit high-pitched clicks that travel through water, bouncing off objects and returning as echoes. By interpreting these echoes, they can precisely locate prey and determine distances. As they close in on a target, their echolocation clicks intensify into a rapid “buzz” of over 300 clicks per second, enabling a precise capture.
Pilot whales are highly social animals, often hunting in coordinated groups. Their cooperative nature indicates teamwork during foraging, possibly using vocalizations to maintain contact and coordinate movements within the pod. This enhances their effectiveness in surrounding and capturing prey. Most feeding occurs at night, aligning with the vertical migration patterns of their preferred deep-water prey.
Regional and Species Differences in Diet
The diet of pilot whales varies by species, geographic location, and seasonal prey availability. There are two recognized species: the long-finned pilot whale (_Globicephala melas_) and the short-finned pilot whale (_Globicephala macrorhynchus_). Long-finned pilot whales inhabit cooler temperate and subpolar waters, while short-finned pilot whales prefer warmer tropical and subtropical regions. These distinct habitat preferences can lead to differences in the types of prey they encounter and consume.
For instance, long-finned pilot whales in the North Atlantic may primarily consume short-finned squid, while populations in other areas might have a broader diet. Geographical studies have shown variations in the consumption of specific octopus species, such as _Eledone cirrhosa_, which are more prevalent in the diet of pilot whales in some Iberian regions. Pilot whales adapt their feeding habits to what is most abundant in their environment. Their movements often follow the distribution of their main food sources, particularly squid.