Melon-headed Whale

Peponocephala electra

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Class: Mammalia
Order: Cetartiodactyla
Family: Delphinidae
Genus: Peponocephala
Species: Peponocephala electra

The melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra) is a slender, dark grey oceanic dolphin with a triangular head when seen from above, pointed flippers and often white lips. It grows to about 2.7 m and is easily mistaken for the pygmy killer whale.

It lives in large, tightly packed herds, sometimes numbering several hundred animals, and feeds mainly on squid and small fish in deep water. Herds can be skittish and may stampede away from approaching boats.

In the Philippines melon-headed whales are recorded over deep waters around the archipelago, and the species has been involved in several mass strandings. Encounters are offshore and almost always from vessels.

Photo: Richard Fuller, CC0 1.0, via iNaturalist