Sexual maturity is reached by the female at 6 years of age, by the male at 12. It has a very varied diet, but prefers cephalopods. Odontocete cetacean, belonging to the family Delphinidae. Dives can last 10-15 minutes and its breath exceeds one metre in height. Adults have a characteristic greyish-white spot on the chest and belly, in the shape of an anchor: the ‘marres’ (the appendages of the anchor) widen symmetrically under the chin and the spindle continues across the belly until it fades into the genital area. It is ebony black in colour, while the young at birth are much lighter. The pectoral fins are long and slender, sickle-shaped, and the caudal peduncle is very convex and narrow laterally. The rostrum is very small and the dorsal fin is in a mid-forward position, characterised by a base greater than its height, with a very concave posterior margin and a rounded, curved tip. Its elongated body and globular head make it unmistakable. Males reach 6 meters and exceed 2 tonnes females, smaller, reach 5 meters and 1 tonne. Size: it exhibits considerable sexual dimorphism. Their presence in the easternmost areas of the basin is extremely sporadic. In the Tyrrhenian they mainly frequent the central-southern area of the Pontine Archipelago and the Campania coastline. In other areas of the western Mediterranean, Balearics, Gulf of Lion, Ligurian Sea, they are sighted with some regularity. It is a consistent species in the western basin of the Mediterranean: Strait of Gibraltar, Alborán Sea and Gulf of Vera. In the Mediterranean they prefer deep offshore waters, beyond the continental slope. Although they have an oceanic distribution, pilot whales may also approach coastal areas. They are usually nomadic but there are also some resident populations. In the southern hemisphere, pilot whales are found in cold temperate and subpolar waters, while in the northern hemisphere they are found only in the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean. In the Mediterranean two distinct resident populations are present: one in the Strait of Gibraltar, recently considered ‘Critically Endangered’ (CR), and the other, mainly found between the Alborán Sea and the western Mediterranean, which is considered ‘Endangered’ (EN). IUCN Red List: “Least Concern” (LC) at global level.
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