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melon-headed whale

File:Peponocephala_electra_Mayotte.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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melon-headed whale

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Also known as Peponocephala electra, electra dolphin, little killer whale, many-toothed blackfish

species of mammal

OverviewAI-generated

The melon-headed whale, scientifically named *Peponocephala electra* (J.E. Gray, 1846), is a marine mammal belonging to the family Delphinidae. It is classified within the order Cetartiodactyla, class Mammalia, and phylum Chordata. The species has also been referred to by the common names Calderón Pequeño, Electra, Péponocéphale, and blackfish.

This taxon is associated with the Holocene time period and has a recorded range in Brazil, Araioses. Its IUCN conservation status is listed as Least Concern, a designation recorded in 2019. The World Register of Marine Species accepts this taxon at the species rank.

The gestation period for the melon-headed whale is 365 days. In the wild, the maximum longevity for this species is 47 years.

Synthesized by Vinony from 26 facts across 5 sources: Wikidata, IUCN Red List, Encyclopedia of Life, WoRMS, Vinony graph. Generated from structured data (not the Wikipedia text) and checked against those facts — may still contain errors.

Species

Least Concern

blackfish

Species

  1. PhylumChordata
  2. ClassMammalia
  3. OrderCetartiodactyla
  4. FamilyDelphinidae
Habitatmarine

Maximum longevity: 47 years (wild)

via IUCN

Wikidata facts

Instance of
taxon
Image
Peponocephala electra Mayotte.jpg
Show 12 more facts
taxon rank
species
IUCN conservation status
Least Concern
taxon name
Peponocephala electra
Commons category
Peponocephala electra
Commons gallery
Peponocephala electra
taxon common name
瓜头鲸
gestation period
365
taxon author citation
(J.E. Gray, 1846)
taxon range
Araioses
short name
P. electra
time period
Holocene
Sources (3)

via Wikidata · CC0

~20 min read

Encyclopedic overview

The melon-headed whale (Peponocephala electra), also known less commonly as the electra dolphin, little killer whale, or many-toothed blackfish, is a toothed whale of the oceanic dolphin family (Delphinidae). The common name is derived from the head shape. Melon-headed whales are widely distributed throughout deep tropical and subtropical waters worldwide, but they are rarely encountered at sea. They are found near shore mostly around oceanic islands, such as Hawaii, French Polynesia, and the Philippines.

Taxonomy

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “melon-headed whale” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

Gallery (6)