What is "pilot whale"

Pilot \Pi"lot\, n. [F. pilote, prob. from D. peillood plummet, sounding lead; peilen, pegelen, to sound, measure (fr. D. & G. peil, pegel, a sort of measure, water mark) + lood lead, akin to E. lead. The pilot, then, is the lead man, i. e., he who throws the lead. See Pail, and Lead a metal.]

1. (Naut.) One employed to steer a vessel; a helmsman; a steersman.
   --Dryden.

2. Specifically, a person duly qualified, and licensed by authority, to conduct vessels into and out of a port, or in certain waters, for a fixed rate of fees.

3. Figuratively: A guide; a director of another through a difficult or unknown course.

4. An instrument for detecting the compass error.

5. The cowcatcher of a locomotive. [U.S.]

6. (A["e]ronautics) One who flies, or is qualified to fly, an airplane, balloon, or other flying machine.

7. (Mach.) A short plug at the end of a counterbore to guide the tool. Pilots are sometimes made interchangeable.

8. (Mining) The heading or excavation of relatively small dimensions, first made in the driving of a larger tunnel.

9. (Television) a filmed or taped episode of a proposed television series, produced as an example of the series. It may be shown only to those television broadcast executives who may decide whether to buy the rights to the series, or aired to test viewer reaction or to interest sponsors. Also called pilot film or pilot tape. Pilot balloon, a small balloon sent up in advance of a large one, to show the direction and force of the wind. Pilot bird. (Zo["o]l.)

   1. A bird found near the Caribbee Islands; -- so called because its presence indicates to mariners their approach to these islands.
      --Crabb.

   2. The black-bellied plover. [Local, U.S.] Pilot boat, a strong, fast-sailing boat used to carry and receive pilots as they board and leave vessels. Pilot bread, ship biscuit. Pilot cloth, a coarse, stout kind of cloth for overcoats. Pilot engine, a locomotive going in advance of a train to make sure that the way is clear. Pilot fish. (Zo["o]l)

      1. A pelagic carangoid fish ( Naucrates ductor); -- so named because it is often seen in company with a shark, swimming near a ship, on account of which sailors imagine that it acts as a pilot to the shark.

      2. The rudder fish ( Seriola zonata). Pilot jack, a flag or signal hoisted by a vessel for a pilot. Pilot jacket, a pea jacket. Pilot nut (Bridge Building), a conical nut applied temporarily to the threaded end of a pin, to protect the thread and guide the pin when it is driven into a hole. --Waddell. Pilot snake (Zo["o]l.)

         1. A large North American snake ( Coluber obsoleus). It is lustrous black, with white edges to some of the scales. Called also mountain black snake.

         2. The pine snake.

            Pilot whale. (Zo["o]l.) Same as Blackfish, 1.

n. Either of two species of whale in the genus ''Globicephala'', dark grey in colour.

n. small dark-colored whale of the Atlantic coast of the United States; the largest male acts as pilot or leader for the school [syn: black whale, common blackfish, blackfish, Globicephala melaena]

Pilot whales are cetaceans belonging to the genus Globicephala. The two extant species are the long-finned pilot whale (G. melas) and the short-finned pilot whale (G. macrorhynchus). The two are not readily distinguished at sea, and analysis of the skulls is the best way to tell the difference between them. Between the two species, pilot whales range in waters nearly worldwide, with long-finned pilot whales living in cold waters and short-finned pilot whales living in tropical and subtropical waters. Pilot whales are among the largest of the oceanic dolphins, exceeded in size only by the killer whale. They and other large members of the dolphin family are also known as blackfish.

Pilot whales are primarily squid eaters, but will feed on fish, as well. They are also highly social, and studies suggest that both males and females remain in their mothers' pods, an unusual trait among mammals, also found in certain killer whale communities. Short-finned pilot whales are also one of the few mammal species where females go through menopause, and postreproductive females may contribute to the survival of younger members of their pods. Pilot whales are notorious for stranding themselves on beaches, and are among the most common cetacean stranders. Several theories have been proposed to account for this behavior. The status of both species is not understood, and they have been subject to direct and indirect catches by fisheries. Whalers in a few countries continue to hunt pilot whales.