pilot whale
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of pilot whale
First recorded in 1865–70
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Scientists have observed orcas mismothering before—an orca took in a baby pilot whale in 2021, for instance—but in these prior cases, the animal usually survives.
From National Geographic ● Oct. 30, 2023
For the first time, a team of whale experts have recorded an orca caring for the offspring of another species, a long-finned pilot whale infant.
From Salon ● Mar. 9, 2023
A pilot whale — technically a kind of dolphin — may be up to 20 feet long and weigh as much as two tons.
From New York Times ● Sep. 23, 2022
The area has seen at least 11 pilot whale strandings in the past 15 years.
From BBC ● Mar. 17, 2022
The dorsal fin, like that of the Atlantic pilot whale, is one of the species' most distinctive characteristics.
From Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic A Guide to Their Identification by David Caldwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
