Description
The Melon-head has a body shape rather like a torpedo. Its head is a rounded cone giving the animal its common name. The body is more or less uniformly light grey except for a dark grey face – sometimes called the "mask". The flippers are long and pointed. The dorsal fin is tall with a pointed tip – reminiscent of its cousin the Orca. When viewed in profile its head is not as rounded as the Pygmy Killer and this may aid identification.
This whale is capable of very fast swimming, particularly when startled. In flight, it often makes short low jumps clear of the sea surface, splashing lots water. Melon-heads usually gather in large numbers (at least 100 and possibly as many as 1,000 on rare occasions) and sometimes strand together.
The Melon-head weighs 10–15 kilograms (22–33 lb) at birth and is 1 metre (3.3 ft) long. An adult grows up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) long and weighs over 200 kilograms (440 lb). The whales' lifespan is at least 20 years and probably more than 30 years for females.
Their primary diet is squid.
Hawaiian melon-heads spend much of their daytime at the surface resting.
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