long-finned pilot whale
Scientific name Globicephala melas. A species of oceanic dolphin. In everyday Japanese, the katakana name is standard.
Long-finned pilot whales are common in the North Atlantic.
Have you ever seen a long-finned pilot whale at an aquarium?
ゴンドウクジラ is a broader term for pilot whales in general, while ヒレナガゴンドウ specifically refers to the long-finned species.
Katakana spelling is standard for this animal name; usually written in kana.
Kanji spelling is rare and mainly found in older or specialized texts; learners will almost always encounter the katakana form.
The name is composed of 鰭長 (ひれなが, 'long-finned') and 巨頭 (ごんどう, an old whaling term for pilot whales, possibly from 権藤 or 巨頭 meaning 'big head'). The exact origin of ゴンドウ is uncertain.