Feresa attenuata
J. E. Gray, 1874
Pygmy Killer Whale
Distribution :
Worldwide: tropical to warm-temperate waters.
Image courtesy of the ASM Mammal Images Library · MIL ID: 7486
Taxonomy
| Subclass | : Theria |
| Infraclass | : Placentalia |
| Magnorder | : Boreoeutheria |
| Superorder | : Laurasiatheria |
| Order | : Artiodactyla |
| Suborder | : Cetacea |
| Infraorder | : Odontoceti |
| Superfamily | : Delphinoidea |
| Family | : Delphinidae |
| Subfamily | : Globicephalinae |
| Genus | : Feresa |
Species status
Authority citation
Gray, J.E. 1874-09-01. Description of the skull of a new species of dolphin (Feresa attenuata). Annals and Magazine of Natural History (4)14(81):238-239.
Authority publication link
Original name as described
Feresa attenuata
Other common names
Slender Blackfish · Slender Pilot Whale
Type material
BMNH:Mamm:1874.11.25.1 (= BMNH:Mamm:1672a)
Type kind
holotype
Type specimen URI
Type locality
"South Seas."
Biogeographic realm
Marine
Country distribution
Algeria · Anguilla · Antigua and Barbuda · Aruba · Australia · Bahamas · Bangladesh · Barbados · Belize · Benin · Bonaire · Brazil · British Virgin Islands · Brunei · Cambodia · Cameroon · Cayman Islands · China · Cocos Islands · Colombia · Comoros · Cook Islands · Costa Rica · Cote d'Ivoire · Cuba · Curaçao · Democratic Republic of the Congo · Djibouti · Dominica · Dominican Republic · East Timor · Ecuador · El Salvador · Equatorial Guinea · Fiji · France · French Guiana · French Polynesia · Gabon · Gambia · Ghana · Grenada · Guam · Guatemala · Guinea · Guinea-Bissau · Guyana · Haiti · Honduras · India · Indonesia · Iran · Italy · Jamaica · Japan · Kenya · Kiribati · Liberia · Madagascar · Malaysia · Maldives · Marshall Islands · Mauritania · Mayotte · Mexico · Micronesia · Morocco · Mozambique · Myanmar · Nauru · New Caledonia · Nicaragua · Nigeria · Niue · North Korea · Northern Marianas · Oman · Pakistan · Pitcairn · Portugal · Puerto Rico · Republic of the Congo · Saba · Saint Kitts and Nevis · Saint Vincent and the Grenadines · Samoa · Senegal · Sierra Leone · Singapore · Sint Eustatius · Sint Maarten · Solomon Islands · Somalia · South Africa · Spain · Sri Lanka · Suriname · Taiwan · Tanzania · Thailand · Togo · Tokelau · Tonga · Trinidad and Tobago · United States · United States Virgin Islands · Venezuela · Vietnam · Wallis and Futuna · Yemen · Angola? · Namibia? · Seychelles? · Tuvalu? · Uruguay? · Vanuatu?
Subregion distribution
USA(AL, FL, HI, LA, MI, TX)
Taxonomy notes
molecular data suggests there may be cryptic species within what is currently recognized as F. attenuata, but further research is needed to confirm this
Taxonomy notes citation
Hancock-Hanser, B.L., Baird, R.W., Archer, F.I., II, Rosel, P.E., Mignucci-Giannoni, A.A., Dolar, L., Wilcox Talbot, L.A. and Martien, K.K. 2026. The shyest blackfish: The global phylogeography of the pygmy killer whale (Feresa attenuata) suggests considerable population structure and an unrecognized taxon. Marine Mammal Science 42(1):e70127. doi:10.1111/mms.70127
IUCN Red List status
Least Concern
Species Permalink
Country distribution map
The map below provides a general overview. Most species inhabit only specific regions within countries. Known distribution is shown in green and predicted distribution is in yellow.Hover over the highlighted regions to see the country name.
Names and synonyms
Present and past (if available) associated names to the species. Click on a name to view its details.
Total: 7 names and synonyms.
Please send any edits, corrections, or unfilled data (including full citations) to mammaldiversity [at] gmail [dot] com.