Long-finned pilot whale are black-colored whales with a white belly along with inflated, spherical head and a robust body with the long tapering trunk. There is no constriction at the neck and the body is quite cylindrical from the head backward to the region of the dorsal fin. The dorsal fin has a long base; it is low, directed backward, and is set far foward on the body. The tail is long, high, laterally compressed, and bears a keel on both its upper and lower ridges.

The species has 8 to 13 teeth in each of the four jawbones and a flipper which is 1/5 of the body length. The average length of males is 19.7 ft. and a maximum of possibly 26ft. (8 meters) or more. The female will measure from 5 to 6 meters (16.4 to 19.7 ft.) or more. The age of pilot whales are determined by counting growth-layers in the dentine of the teeth. Deposition of dentine however ends with complete filling of the pulp-cavity at ages of 10-20 years. Cemental layers continue to be laid down but narrow, allowing less accurate age determination. The distribution of this species is limited to the cooler water of the globe.

The northern and southern populations do not meet, mix, and interbreed because they are separated by a wide band of warm tropical water