Globicephala macrorhynchus
Silhouette: Chris huh · PhyloPic
In 3 days ~20% in a week ~30%
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).
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 or brown skin, and can be distinguished from its counterpart by shorter flippers, fewer teeth, and a shorter beak. It is thought 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, usually 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; females often outnumber males 8:1 in a pod.
Pods are known to mass strand, possibly due to sheer accident, biosonars confused by geomagnetic anomalies, injury from loud military sonar, or disease. It was historically whaled, and is still whaled today by Japan and the Lesser Antilles, but it is protected by several international treaties. Wikipedia →
| # | Park | Country | Daily sighting probability |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Galápagos Islands | 🇪🇨 Ecuador |
More parks will be added in future updates.
| # | Zoo / Centre | Country | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SeaWorld San Diego | 🇺🇸 United States | |
| 2 | Marine World Uminonakamichi | 🇯🇵 Japan |
With luck
About 10% of wildlife watchers report a Short-finned Pilot Whale sighting in Galápagos Islands on a given day, based on 24 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. It is the 8th most-seen of the 12 mammals we can rate there. Over three days the chance rises to about 20%, and over a week to about 30%, if each day is a fresh chance.
February–May, July–August and October–November
In those months about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Short-finned Pilot Whale in Galápagos Islands on a given day, against under 5% in June, September and December–January, the lowest months.
Between 9 am and noon
Across all the parks we cover, that three-hour window holds the most Short-finned Pilot Whale sightings with a recorded time, and about 9 in 10 of them come between 6 am and 6 pm: it is a daytime animal.
Only Galápagos Islands, in our data
Galápagos Islands is the only park on Wallace's Line with enough records to rate Short-finned Pilot Whale sightings: about 10% of wildlife watchers there report one on a given day.
Same family: Delphinidae
The closest relatives of the Short-finned Pilot Whale that you can see in Galápagos Islands (family Delphinidae, Oceanic Dolphins) are Bottlenose Dolphin (about 20%), Killer Whale (about 10%) and Common Dolphin (about 10%), with each one's daily chance of a sighting.
GBIF citizen-science records
It is estimated from how often the Short-finned Pilot Whale is recorded against all the mammals logged in Galápagos Islands (24 verified sightings from 2019 to 2026), calibrated against known sighting rates. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10% because citizen-science data supports honest approximations, not decimals, and months with records from fewer than five people show "—". How it works.
