The Melon-headed Whale has a body shape rather like a torpedo
- its head shaped like 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 the head
is not as rounded as the Pygmy Killer and this may be an aid to identification.

This whale is capable of swimming very quickly, particularly when startled.
When doing so it often makes short low jumps clear of the sea surface,
causing lots of splash. Melon-heads usually gather in large numbers
(at least 100 and possible as many as 1000 on rare occasions)
and sometimes strand together.

Facts