General Info:
- False Killer Whales are a type of dolphin
- They got their name because their skulls and teeth were similar to Orcas, thus they were named “false killer whales”
- All dolphins and whales are Cetaceans. There are currently about 89 living species of Cetaceans, broken into two groups: Odonteceti and Baleen
- False Killer Whales are Odontoceti, or “toothed whales.” Other species that fall in this category are Orcas, dolphins, porpoises, beluga whales, narwhals, sperm whales, and beaked whales.
- Unfortunately, False Killer Whales have a history of beaching themselves; the largest mass stranding occurred in 1946 in Argentina and involved 835 individuals.
Current Statistics:
- There is no accurate count of the worldwide numbers for False Killer Whales, but the entire species is listed as near threatened on the IUCN list.
- False Killer Whales are found around the world, but there are only three subspecies in Hawaii.
- False Killer Whales are particularly susceptible to entanglement from fishing lines.
- Between 1989 and 2009, the subspecies in Hawaii declined by more than 75%.
- The insular population around the main Hawaiian islands has fewer than 200 individuals.
- Of the 200 left, very few females are capable of breeding.
- In 2012, this population of False Killer Whales was declared Endangered under the Endangered Species Act.