Etymology
(Namegiving)
Pilot whales got their name from the fact that a pod of pilot whales should have one leader, a mature female. She gives direction to the group or at least to a group of individuals within the pod.
The name “Globicephala” (Latin name: Globicephala melas) is a combination of the Latin words globus (globe) and kephale (head). The specific name melas is Greek for ‘black’.
In some places the whale is called ‘pothead whale’ because the head of the animal should look like an old black cooking pot.
