Sperm Whale

 

Animal Unique | Sperm Whale | Sperm whale is a marine mammal, order Cetacea, a toothed whale (odontocete) with the largest brain of an animal. The name comes from the milky-white waxy substance, spermaceti, found in the head of the animal. The sperm whale is the only living member of the genus Physeter. Atlantic, Pacific, Indian Ocean, Arctic Ocean: sperm whales roam the deep waters of all oceans, although they seldom approach polar ice fields and are most common in temperate and tropical latitudes. They also occasionally be seen near coastlines in the Gulf of Mexico, where they were once common.

Scientific classification
Kingdom:     Animalia
Phylum:     Chordata
Class:     Mammalia
Order:     Cetacea
Suborder:     Odontoceti
Family:     Physeteridae
Genus:     Physeter
Species:     P. macrocephalus

The Sperm whale's distinctive shape comes from the very large head, which is typically one third of the length of the animal. The blowhole is situated very close to the front of the head and shifted to the left of the whale. This gives rise to a distinctive bushy, forward-angle spray. The sperm whale's flukes are triangular and very thick. The whale lifts its flukes high out of the water as it begins a dive. It has a series of ridges on the back of the caudal third instead of a dorsal fin. The main ridge, the "hump" of whalers, and can be mistaken for a dorsal fin because of its shape and size. Unlike the smooth skin of most large whales, the back skin is usually knobbly and has been likened to a prune by whale-watching enthusiasts. The skin is normally a uniform gray color, though it looks brown in the sun.

The Sperm whale has 20 to 26 teeth on each side of his jaw. The teeth are conical. The purpose of the teeth is unknown. Teeth do not seem to be needed for capturing or eating squid, and well-fed animals have been found without teeth. Sperm whales, elephant seals and whales along with dolphins, are the deepest diving mammals. Sperm whales are believed to be 3 kilometers to reach and remain underwater for 90 minutes.

Sperm whale feeds mainly on squid (including the colossal squid and giant squid), octopus and deep water fish, but it also consumes sharks and rays. It consumes about 3% of its body weight in squid per day. Spermaceti, derived primarily from the spermaceti organ, and the sperm whale, obtained primarily from the mud in the body, are much sought after by 18th, 19th, and 20th century whalers. These substances found a variety of commercial applications, such as candles, soaps, cosmetics, machine oil, other specialized lubricants, lamp oil, pencils, crayons, leather waterproofing, rust-proofing materials and many pharmaceutical compounds.

Are fiercely aggressive when attacked, bull sperm was a threat to the small-boat whalers in the 19th century. Sperm whales are no match for modern whaling equipment, however. Sperm whales were once abundant in the Gulf of Mexico, but by commercial whaling, they are rarely seen in that area now. Worldwide whale populations are more stable than those of many other whales. The Sperm whale is the most common of the large whales, because it is less intense than the baleen whales hunted. Globally, Sperm whales number about 1.5 million.

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