False Killer Whale Sidles Up To Boat, Flashes Goofy Grin

When you resemble one of the ocean's most powerful predators, making friends can be hard. 

But with pearly whites like these, this false killer whale  -- actually a member of the dolphin family -- has won us over.

Crew members on a boat tour off the west coast of Oahu on Saturday heard of a pair of false killer whales and went looking to get video footage for research purposes. 

Elizabeth Hartford, the crew member who shot the video, said the whales soon approached to "bow ride" with the boat . As the mother and calf rode the boat's waves, Hartford filmed the majestic duo.

The cetaceans may have mistaken the camera for a tasty treat.

"Those smiles you see them make were a precursor to one of them trying to eat the camera," Hartford told The Huffington Post.

False killer whales are an endangered species. Though they have a small population, they have been seen in temperate and tropical waters worldwide . 

Weirdly enough, false killer whale fossils were discovered before the live animals were ever observed in the wild. They were thought to be extinct until 15 years  after the fossils were found.

 Creepy, cute, whatever you want to call it -- this is one slick whale.

Watch the full video below:

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