Pilot Whale

Pilot (aka The Sea Captain, aka The Natural Born Leader, aka Bossman)

Male / the navigator / 6.7 meters (22 feet or 3.9 Amelia Earharts) / 2.5 tons (or 2.1 Cessna 172 airplanes) / population health unknown

Pilot whale the species:

There are two types of pilot whales, the short-finned and the long-finned. They're closely related, but for the purposes of The Pod, I choose the long-finned pilot whale. Long-finned pilots are blackfish and primarily eat squid, but are also known to eat small fish as well. The name "pilot" was given to this species because it was originally believed that there was one pilot amongst them that would lead the group. Pilots are highly social and both males and females have been observed babysitting calves that are not directly related. They strand themselves more than any other whale and they tend to do so in large numbers. There are several hypotheses as to why this might happen, but I like the idea that they stick together through thick and thin.

Pilot whales have been hunted for over a hundred years by distressing them in boats that form a semicircle and forcing them to beach themselves as they close the circle. The meat is high in protein, but the meat is becoming increasingly dangerous to eat because of increasing mercury levels in the ocean. The reason it's dangerous to eat predators that are high on the food chain is because each level of the food chain passes only a percentage of the energy it consumes, but passes close to 100% of the mercury that's ingested. Tuna, for instance, are on the higher side of the food chain and some species only eat tuna. Day after day. So if you want my non-expert opinion, try eating lower on the food chain if you can help it. And I wouldn't eat a pilot whale either, they're just underneath the apex of all apex creatures, the orca.  

Pilot the character:

Pilot is a natural born leader. He's used to being in charge, but he's got plenty of learning to do before he can be a true leader. True leaders don't just bark orders, they build on potential. Look for Pilot to play an important role.