pilot whale

Marine mammal of the dolphin family, genus Globiocephala. It grows to about 8.5 m/28 ft and is black with a white streak on its belly and a broad, flat head. The pilot whale is more frequently stranded than any other species, and is found in almost every sea.

The pilot whale is also known as the caa'ing or calling whale (in the Orkneys); the pothead, blackfish, or bagfin (English); calderon (Spanish); chandron, deducteur, or conducteur (French); grindy (Russian); and gondo kujira (Japanese). The name pilot derives from its habit of swimming line astern with one individual in the lead, or the belief that it guided fishermen to shoals of herring.