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Long-finned pilot whales. Adult and juvenile long- finned pilot whale (Globicephala melas). This animal is not a whale, but a dolphin. It is found in all temperate and sub-polar waters except the North Pacific. Females give birth to a single calf after a gestation period of between 15 and 16 months. A new born calf measures just under 2 metres in length. It is nursed for 20 months and remains with its mother for 2 years. Females reach sexual maturity at 7 years of age and males at 12 years of age. The pilot whale is a social animal, that lives in groups, or pods, that can number 100s of individuals. They are usually found in deep water, eating mainly squid, but also fish and octopus. Photographed in the Mediterranean Sea. (KEYSTONE/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/CHR 366 CHRISTOPHER SWANN/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY) === ===