Pilot whales are in fact one of the largest members of the dolphin family, also called blackfish or pothead whale. Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus Globicephala. They are treated as whales for the Marine Mammals Protection Regulations 1992.
They were named pilot whales because it was thought that each pod followed a 'pilot' in the group. They are characterized by a round bulging forehead, a short beaklike snout, and slender pointed flippers.
There are an estimated 1 million long-finned pilot whales and approximately 200,000 short-finned pilot whales worldwide. Pilot whales have been hunted for their meat, bone, oil, and for fertilizer.