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False Killer Whale

By: Annabelle Lee

BIS 306

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About The Species

  • Scientific Name (NOAA):
    • Pseudorca Crassidens
  • Appearance (NOAA):
    • Large and Slender
    • Small conical head without a beak
    • S-shaped pectoral fins/flippers
    • Dorsal fin located in the middle of the back
  • Weight and Length (NOAA)
    • Adulthood: 3,000 lbs
    • Adult females: 16 ft
    • Adult males: 20 ft
  • Lifespan (NOAA)
    • Females: 63 yrs old
    • Males: 58 yrs old

(NOAA)

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Where To Find Them

  • They do not live near land but are around oceanic islands with deep water (NatureServer Explorer)
  • Prefer live in a tropical to subtropical waters (NOAA)
  • Main habitat is located around the Main Hawaiian Islands, including the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (MMC)

(MMC)

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Threats They Face

  • Whale Hunting (EOL)
  • Bycatch (IUCN)
    • Entanglement to longline fishing
  • Competition with Fisheries (NOAA)
  • Decrease in Population (NOAA)
  • Chemical Pollution (NOAA)

(EOL)

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Focused Threat

  • Main Threat:
    • Bycatch/Entanglement (EOL)
      • Fishing industries take away fishes that are part of the species diet - causing longline entanglement
      • False Killer Whales will get caught by the hooks and drown

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Conservation Efforts

  • Established Hawaiian False Killer Whale Population (MMC)
  • Protect habitat near the main Hawaiian Islands (NOAA)
  • Take Reduction Plan (TRP) (MMC)
    • Requiring longline fishermen to use ‘weak circle hooks’ and ‘strong branch lines’

(Baird/IUCN)

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References

Baird, R.W. “False Killer Whale.” IUCN Red List, 23 July 2018,

https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/18596/145357488.

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Encyclopedia of Life (EOL). “False Killer Whale, Pfalse Killer.” EOL,

https://eol.org/pages/46559277.

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Marine Mammal Commission (MMC). “Hawaiian Islands False Killer Whale.” Marine Mammal

Commission, 2022, https://www.mmc.gov/priority-topics/species-of-concern/main-hawaiian-islands-insular-population-of-false-killer-whales/.

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NatureServe Explorer. “False Killer Whale.” NatureServer Explorer, 2 Apr. 2022,

https://explorer.natureserve.org/Taxon/ELEMENT_GLOBAL.2.100838/Pseudorca_crassidens.

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NOAA. “False Killer Whale.” NOAA Fisheries,

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/false-killer-whale.