A breathtaking encounter with Pilot Whales

Pilot Whales in La Ventana, Baja California Sur

October is a beautiful month here in Baja: the water is warm and blue and it is not too crowded, it starts to cool down after a hot summer and water conditions are usually pretty good, with not many windy days. Recently, on one of our marine safaris this month, we found some beautiful cetaceans in our bay: short-finned pilot whales (Globicephala macrorhynchus). They were sighted for a few days in our area, also up north towards Espíritu Santo island in the following days. Even though they are not super rare to see here, they are not common, so it was fascinating seeing them, but also the fact that we saw maybe hundreds of them, was really special: as long as we could see, fins broke the water’s surface.

We were all thrilled to spend our morning in their company. They were very peaceful and came looking at our boat many times. We could hear them communicating underwater and see them socializing with each other. Floating in a beautiful blue and calm sea surrounded by these beautiful animals, what a fantastic way of spending a day!

Some facts

Pilot whales are odontocetes, toothed whales, and are part of the marine dolphin family. They can look like other dolphins but are much bigger, reaching 12 to 20ft in length (4 to 7m), and have a very characteristic rounded and bulbous melon. This round head gives them their scientific name, from the Latin globus, which means globe and is an outstanding characteristic that will help you differentiate them. They are black to dark gray/brown with a white anchor-shaped patch in their chest, that looks like a bow tie and have a wide and hooked dorsal fin. They inhabit warm waters worldwide and are known for being highly playful and social.

Social life and diet

Pilot whales live in matrilineal groups, consisting of a matriarch with her immediate family. They remain in their family group for life. The males leave their groups to mate with members from other families during temporary aggregations of different groups. Females go through menopause, meaning they have important roles once they stop reproducing, like helping care for the calves and as keepers and transmitters of their ecological wisdom.

Short-finned pilot whales feed mainly on squid; they can dive more than 3200ft (1000m) hunting for it. Before we found the pod, we saw pieces of squid floating on the surface, so it looked like they had a fest that day!

Pilot whales are often found in aggregations with other species, when we encountered them, we saw them hanging out with bottlenose dolphins. They have a complex repertoire of sounds that they use to locate food and for communication. They have strong social bonds, which could explain the frequency of mass strandings in this species.

Pilot whales swimming peacefully next to us.

We enjoyed the presence of several families that formed a huge pod that surrounded us, sometimes coming right next to our boat. Mothers traveling with their babies by their side and big males, all swimming together in our waters. It´s impressive how big they are and how gently they move. Having them breath next to us was unforgettable, what a great start to a new season!

Read my short article in the La Ventana View Newsletter.

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Pilot whale breathing next to our boat. La Ventana, Baja California Sur.
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