SPERM WHALE
Physeter macrocephalus
Sperm Whale Connect-the-Dots
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The sperm whale is a toothed whale that lives in pods. It has a huge brain that weighs about 20 pounds (9 kg); it is the largest brain of any animal.
Sperm whale
Sperm whale II
Sperm whale I
Size: 20 m, Weight: 45-75 tonnes. The blowhole is located very close to the front of the head and shifted to the whale's left.
Sperm Whale Facts
Kingdom:
Five groups that classify all living things...
SPERM WHALE FACTS
Description
The Sperm Whale is a toothed whale with a huge box-shaped head. The head is about a third of the total body length, and contains the largest brain of any mammal - the brain weighs in at about 9kg.
Sperm Whale
Related Category: Vertebrate Zoology
largest of the toothed whales, Physeter catodon, found in the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. It is also called cachalot.
Sperm whales were once the mainstay of the pelagic whaling industry. Prior to the advent of cannon harpoons, diesel-powered catcher boats, and massive factory ships, the hunting of sperm whales was a dangerous occupation.
Sperm whales range across most of the world's oceans, but they are most usually found in those latitudes inhabited by the giant squid, which is its favourite food: off the coasts of South America, Africa, the Arabian Sea, ...
Sperm Whale Range
Audio
Fast Facts
Type: Mammal Diet: Carnivore Size: 49 to 59 ft (15 to 18 m) Weight: 35 to 45 tons (31.8 to 40.8 metric tons) Group name: Pod Protection status: Endangered Did you know?
Sperm whales are very deep divers and may stay submerged from 20 minutes to over an hour. When they surface, sperm whales typically blow 20-70 times before descending again.
SPERM WHALE
The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales and can reach a length of 65 feet. Its massive round head accounts for about one third of its total body length.
HABITS ...
Sperm whales are found in mixed groups of 20 to 40 individuals including adult females, calves and juveniles. After weaned from their mother, juveniles leave their group to form juvenile schools.
Sperm whales are found in all oceans of the world. The females and young usually stay in the warmer equatorial waters and males roam the world until breeding season.
The primary predator of the sperm whale is man.
Historically the Sperm whale has also been known as the Common Cachalot. The word cachalot is originally Portuguese (cachalote), probably coming from cachola, a colloquial term for head.
Sperm Whale - profile
Scientific name: Physeter macrocephalus
Conservation status in NSW: Vulnerable
Description ...
Great sperm whale
Physeter catodon
The star of Moby Dick, great sperm whales hold many records, including deepest diving mammal, largest toothed whale and biggest brain.
Subspecies
None.
Sperm whales receive their common name for the massive spermaceti organ located in the forehead region. This organ can hold up to 1,900 liters (500 gal.) of wax-like oil. Opinions differ as to the purpose of the spermaceti.
Sperm whales are deep divers and can hold their breath for up to an hour. Flukes are lifted high just before the whale begins a deep or terminal dive.
Sperm Whale
Order: Cetacea
Family: Physeteridae
Physeter catodon - male in center, female on right; lower right, spray pattern
Click to enlarge. (60 kb) ...
Sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
The sperm whale is the largest of the toothed whales, with males growing up to 20 metres in length. It also has the largest brain of any... More 27 Images 14 Videos ...
Sperm Whale (Physeter macrocephalus)
Population: Probably fewer than 400,000; down from well over 1 million at the turn of the 20th Century. Status: Vulnerable Species
Trends: Unknown.
Sperm Whale, Physeter catodon (syn. P. macrocephalus)
Family Kogiidae - MSW3 treats Kogia as a member of Physeteridae
Genus Kogia ...
Sperm Whale*
Physeter catodon
Formerly abundant offshore. Strandings in Barnstable, Dukes, Essex, Nantucket, and Plymouth counties. Listed as "Endangered" ...
Sperm whales used to be a major catch of whalers, and are still hunted by those countries where whaling is legal. The only other predators are large sharks or killer whales on unprotected calves.
Pygmy Sperm Whale - Kogia breviceps - Marine Life Profile of Pygmy Sperm Wh...
Gray Whales of Magdalena, Loreto, and Home - Days 7 and 8 - Safari Quest Se...
Fin Whale, Balaenoptera physalus - Marine Life Profile of the Fin Whale ...
Predators
Sperm whales, sharks, seals, swordfish, and marlin feed on Humboldt squid of all sizes, while gulls and large fish often capture juveniles.
Dwarf Sperm Whale (Kogia simus)
Eastern Fox Squirrel (Sciurus niger)
Eastern Pipistrelle (Pipistrellus subflavus)
Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus borealis)
Elk (Cervus elaphus)
Evening Bat (Nycticeius humeralis) ...
Molecular and morphological studies published since then have rejected this hypothesis, but controversy has continued over the position of sperm whales (Physeteridae) within Cetacea. Based on mitochondrial gene sequences, Milinkovitch et al.
and porpoises are examples of odontocetes, as are belugas, narwhals, killer whales, sperm whales, and beaked whales. Baleen whales lack teeth completely as adults (although teeth are present in fetal baleen whales).
The sperm whale can dive to depths of over 7,000 feet and can stay underwater for close to two hours. Before diving, whales fill their lungs with air and close their blow holes, then they collapse their lungs.
Pygmy Sperm Whale
Sperm Whale
Other possible species include Striped , Spinner and, Rough-toothed dolphin, Risso's Dolphin (Grampus), Fraser's Dolphin, Melonheaded Whale, Short-finned Pilot Whale, Dwarf Sperm Whale, Beaked Whale, and others.
It's In the Teeth: The toothed whale group, of which the dolphin is a member, also includes river dolphins, porpoises, white whales, sperm whales, orcas and beaked whales.
The deepest recorded dive is 3/4 of a mile, slightly more than the deepest known dive of a sperm whale.
Female sea turtles lay around 100 eggs in each nest.
Toothed whales include dolphins, porpoises, belugas, narwhals, sperm whales, river dolphins, and beaked whales. Baleen whales are represented by 11 species, including the right whale, gray whale, blue whale, and humpback whale.
RETURN TO TOP ...
Clockwise from top left: sperm whale; humpback whale and calf; southern right whale; Maui's dolphin; sei whale; beluga whale ...
Different species of whale are different characteristically including appearance, size and shape. Some whales (such as Sperm Whales and Baleen Whales) sometimes have rudimentary hind limbs; some even with feet and digits.
Elephant seals were once hunted for their blubber, which was almost as prized as that of the sperm whale. The blubber was boiled to oil, which was used for lighting, among other things.
Few of the young survive, but once an octopus is fully grown, it has few predators. However, sperm whales and humans will hunt them at any stage of their lives.
5 metres long when fully grown, to the mammoth 18 metre male sperm whale. Some other examples are the two species of pilot whale, beluga whale, narwhal, finless porpoise, and the rather large family of beaked whales.
Humans adversely affect Beluga populations by harvesting beluga caviar. When in open ocean, the beluga's enemies include killer whales, sharks and perhaps sperm whale.
The source of these dead squid is a matter of debate; some certainly comes from squid fisheries, but in nature it primarily comes from the die-off that occurs after squid spawning and the vomit of squid-eating wales (sperm whales, ...
of the Whales), the deep chasm between the Baja mainland and Isla Angel de la Guardia. Finbacks, the second largest animal on the planet, are the most common whale within the island channels, although Killer Whales, Humpback Whales and Sperm Whales ...
Pygmy Seahorse, Hippocampus bargibanti Whitley, 1970
Pygmy Shutwing
Pygmy Sperm Whale
Pyramid Butterflyfish, Hemitaurichthys polylepis (Bleeker, 1857)
Pyrite specimen
Pyroclastic processes and materials ...
 See also: Whale, Dolphin, Squid, Shark, Humpback
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