It has a slender body with an elongated, tapered head and 44 teeth. The dorsal fin is sickle-shaped, and its flippers are narrow, short, and pointed, with a distinctive bulge on the leading edge of the flipper (the side closest to the head). The average body length is around 4.9 m (16.1 ft), with females reaching a maximum size of 5 m (16.4 ft) in length and 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) in weight, and males 6 m (20 ft) long and 2,200 kg (4,900 lb) in weight.